Detecting hazardous concentrations of geogenic fluoride in drinking water: translating reagent-free sensorsfrom bench top to back pocket

对饮用水中氟化物的低成本现场检测将改变2亿多生活在低资源环境中的人们的游戏规则，他们所饮用的地下水中天然存在的氟化物含量不安全。 虽然低水平的氟化物对人体健康有益，但超过1.5 mg/L的水平可能对骨骼生长和其他健康结果产生破坏性影响。虽然氟化物污染显然不是影响全球10%无法获得安全饮用水的人口的唯一问题，但其慢性影响可以通过与典型水处理方案不同的干预措施来预防，因此，单独识别这一问题对于充分解决可持续发展目标至关重要。我们已经开发了一种简单的方法来检测相关浓度的氟化物。我们的传感器基于光纤，不需要混合试剂，避免了传统方法的局限性，传统方法在氯化或浑浊的水中无法工作，而且经常产生危险废物。我们简单易用的传感器的下一步是将其插入手机，并开发适合最需要该技术的用户的设备和接口。为了确保我们瞄准了正确的市场，我们将与BlueTech Research的顾问合作，进行市场分析，确定最大的需求，并确定市场路径和保护和传播知识产权的战略，以便这项技术可以用于改善最需要它的社区的生活。

Low-cost, field detection of fluoride in drinking water will be a game changer for the over 200 million people in low-resource contexts who are exposed to unsafe levels of naturally occurring fluoride in the groundwater that they drink. While low levels of fluoride are beneficial to human health, levels in excess of 1.5 mg/L can have devastating effects on bone growth and other health outcomes. While fluoride contamination is clearly not the sole problem impacting the 10% of the global population lacking access to safe drinking water, its chronic effects are prevented by different interventions than typical water treatment schemes, and so separate identification of this problem is critical to adequately address SDG #6 of water and sanitation for all.We have developed a simple method for the detection of fluoride at relevant concentrations. Our sensor, based on an optical fibre, does not require mixing of reagents, and avoids the limitations of conventional methods, which do not work in chlorinated or cloudy water and often generate hazardous waste.The next step for our simple-to-use sensor is to miniaturize so that it works plugged into a cell phone, and to develop a device and interface appropriate for users who most need the technology. To be sure we are targeting the right market, we will work with consultants at BlueTech Research to perform a market analysis, determine the greatest need, and identify a path to market and strategy for protecting and disseminating the intellectual property so that this technology can be made available to improve lives in communities that most need it.