Cheap and fast ambient air monitoring of pesticides

描述（由申请人提供）：急性农药中毒在发达国家和发展中国家仍然是一个巨大的健康问题。在美国国内，2004年的一项研究估计，每10万名美国农业工人中就有18人患有急性农药中毒，2002年对加州空气的一项研究发现，城市地区有三种农药达到危险水平。由于农药主要是通过喷雾器或飞机上的空中喷洒，而喷雾器的飘流会使农药远离目标区域，因此需要对使用地点和周围地区的农药浓度进行广泛监测，以保护公众免受危险水平的接触。然而，目前的监测战略过于缓慢和昂贵，无法在广泛范围内做到这一点。iSense公司开发了一种新型传感器技术，可以检测多种化学成分低于其允许暴露（PEL）限制的各种有毒工业化学品（tic）。该技术快速、廉价，能够区分tic和复杂的化合物混合物。我们拟对该技术进行测试、改进和优化，以检测和鉴定美国农药中毒中鉴定的主要农药类型——有机磷农药。如果成功，iSense技术可以通过同时识别导致农药中毒的农药，大大减少不健康的农药接触，并改善医疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Acute pesticide poisoning remains a vast health problem in the developed and developing world. Domestically, a 2004 study estimates that 18 of every 100,000 US agricultural workers suffer from acute pesticide poisoning and a 2002 study of California air found dangerous levels of three pesticides in urban areas. Since pesticides are primarily applied by sprayers or aerially from planes, where spray drift can translate pesticides far from their targeted areas, widespread monitoring of pesticide concentration at the site of their use and in surrounding areas is required to protect the public from dangerous levels of exposure. However, current monitoring strategies are too slow and costly to do this on a widespread scale. iSense, LLC has developed a novel sensor technology that can detect various toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) across multiple chemical moieties below their permissible exposure (PEL) limit. The technology is rapid, inexpensive and capable of distinguishing between TICS as well as complex mixtures of compounds. We propose to test, improve and optimize this technology toward the detection and identification of organophosphate pesticides, the leading type of pesticide identified in US pesticide poisoning. If successful, iSense technology could drastically reduce unhealthy pesticide exposure and improve medical treatment by simultaneously identifying the pesticides responsible for pesticide poisoning.