PlomBoxear: A Device for Open Source Metrology to Fight Lead Contamination in Drinking Water

该项目旨在转化由2017年STFC GCRF基金会奖资助的研究，以提供一种开源、低成本的设备来测量饮用水中的铅(铅)污染。该项目利用了STFC核心科学计划支持的一个研究领域：为寻找暗物质而开发的超精密放射性测量和热量计。GCRF的前身项目建立在这项研究的基础上，利用CMOS传感器中铅原子发出的放射性相互作用，以及通过移动电话的数据采集(DAQ)来开发水中铅的检测。该项目旨在将这些发展转化为低成本设备的应用，并在阿根廷的一项试点研究中展示其在测量水中铅污染方面的有效性。开发和验证活动将在英国、阿根廷和墨西哥进行。提高铅测量能力和开发新的铅测量技术的动机是，铅污染是世界上导致预期寿命损失的头号原因，目前世界上最严重的10个污染问题中有2个与铅有关[1]。这既是LMIC的问题，也是高收入国家的问题--美国密歇根州弗林特等水安全违规事件表明，违反世界卫生组织(WHO)指导方针的水质可能发生在任何地方，有关水质及其时间变化的信息并不普遍。甚至像电动汽车这样的清洁技术也使用传统的铅基电池；这些电池的处置是饮用水中铅污染的主要原因，特别是在LMIC中。目前，水中铅的测量需要昂贵的专门设备才能达到对人类健康的相关敏感水平--即使是百万分之0.1的铅污染也会产生毁灭性的生物影响。我们计划开发的设备PlomBox将使用一个定制的传感器组装盒，它可以插入到手机中来获取和分析数据。我们的目标是盒子成本为10英镑。其目标是首次实现广泛分布的计量方法和对饮用水中铅水平的实时、众包监测。这项技术可能会对与铅污染相关的公共健康问题产生革命性的影响。世界卫生组织(WHO)对饮用水中铅的限制是十亿分之十(Ppb)。要达到这种程度的灵敏度是一个极具挑战性的问题，我们通过利用前身GCRF项目中展示的硅中铅(Si)探测器的精确量热技术，以及由布宜诺斯艾利斯大学的合作者展示的使用工程细菌检测痕量杂质的生物技术来解决这个问题。我们请求在18个月内为873K提供支持，以支持阿根廷(5个)、墨西哥(3个)和英国(3个)的PDRA和技术人员，以及制造PlomBox原型、在现场测试中部署它们、与Ge(Ge)探测器伽马光谱和电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICPMS)交叉验证的差旅和消耗品成本。[1]http://www.worstpolluted.org/

This project aims to translate research funded by a 2017 STFC GCRF Foundation Award to deliver an open-source, low-cost device to measure lead (Pb) contamination in drinking water.This project draws on an area of research supported by the STFC core science programme: ultra-precise radioactivity measurement and calorimetry developed to search for dark matter. The predecessor GCRF project built upon this research to develop detection of Pb in water using interactions of radioactivity emitted from Pb atoms in CMOS sensors, together with data acquisition (DAQ) via a mobile phone. This project aims to translate these developments to application in a low-cost device, and demonstrate its utility for measuring Pb contamination in water in a pilot study in Argentina. Development and validation activities will be carried out across the UK, Argentina and México.The motivation for growing capacity for and developing new Pb measurement techniques is that Pb pollution is the #1 cause of loss of life expectancy in the world, and currently 2 of the top 10 worst pollution problems in the world are associated with Pb [1]. This is a problem both in LMICs and in high income countries- examples like the Flint, Michigan, USA, water safety breaches demonstrate that water quality in violation of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines can happen anywhere, and information about water quality, and its variation in time, is not widespread. Even 'clean' technologies, like electric cars, employ traditional Pb-based batteries; the disposal of these batteries is a leading contributor to Pb pollution in drinking water, particularly in LMICs.Currently, Pb in water measurements require expensive, specialized equipment to reach relevant sensitivity levels for human health- even 0.1 parts per million contamination with Pb produces devastating biological impacts. The device we propose to develop, the PlomBox, will use a custom sensor assembly box that plugs into a mobile phone to acquire and analyze the data. We aim for the box cost to be <10 GBP. The goal is to make widely-distributed metrology and real-time, crowd-sourced monitoring of Pb levels in drinking water possible for the first time. This technology could have a transformative impact on the public health problems associated with Pb pollution.The World Health Organization (WHO) limit for Pb in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb). Reaching this level of sensitivity is an incredibly challenging problem, which we address by leveraging the precision calorimetry techniques for Pb in silicon (Si) detectors demonstrated in the predecessor GCRF project, together with biological techniques to detect trace impurities using engineered bacteria demonstrated by the U. of Buenos Aires collaborators. We request support for 873k over 18 months to support PDRAs and Technicians in Argentina (5), México (3), and the UK (3), travel, and consumables costs to fabricate the PlomBox prototypes, deploy them in a field test, cross-validate against Germanium (Ge) detector gamma spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).[1] http://www.worstpolluted.org/