Arsenic Test Kits

http://rdic.org/arsenic/

An arsenic testing kit could be a potential export to Nepal. There are some general water testing kits that could test for arsenic as well as other chemicals, but an arsenic test kit is directed towards the specific element. The arsenic test kit includes test tubes, containers and chemicals that would be used during the test (Cole Parmer, 2016). The reactants provided in the kit would be in chemical form to reduce the risk of exposure (Gary, 2001).

For the experiment to occur, there is a reaction between powdered zinc and acidified water (Gary, 2001). Other reagents are supplied as well to help block any interferences from other elements that are possibly in the examined water (Gary, 2001). Once the reaction is complete, the amount of arsenic in the sample of tested water can be found using the test strips provided (Gary, 2001). The particular test kit chosen to be exported to Nepal, which includes all the necessary materials to complete this experiment, is approximately $308 (Cole Parmer, 2016). This amount in Nepalese rupees would be approximately 33,800 rupees (XE, 2016).

Testing for arsenic has been done many times in the US and Atlantic Canada, using a similar test kit (Zheng, 2014). The majority of rural populations depend on private or town well water, which can easily be contaminated with arsenic (Zheng, 2014). However, in the US it is not the government’s responsibility to keep track of arsenic testing of the wells; it is the owner’s responsibility (Zheng, 2007). Similarly, the farmers of Nepal are mainly subsistence farmers and therefore are responsible for their own land and the quality of the land. The quality of land also includes the quality of the farmer’s water (Neupane, 2001).

The Company

Cole Parmer Canada is the company that produces the arsenic test kits (Cole Parmer, 2016). They are located in Montreal, Quebec and were established in 1955 (Cole Parmer, 2016). Cole Parmer is well known around the world and is a global source for lab products and equipment as well as other testing supplies (Cole Parmer, 2016). The company produces their products in Canada. They also get all of the supplies for their products from Canadian companies, but they mainly ship out of the US (Cole Parmer, 2016). There is, however, a solution wherein the product could be shipped out of Canada to the United States and then to Nepal (Cole Parmer, 2016). ![endif]--![endif]--