DETECTION OF ARSENIC IN GROUND WATER USING SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE: FIELD VERIFICATION OF A NEW ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUE FOR ARSENIC

Arsenic is a known toxin found in water throughout the world. Arsenic contamination is a particular problem in developing countries where drinking water is often drawn from shallow, unmonitored wells. The WHO has determined that “simple, reliable, low cost equipment for field measurements” is an urgent requirement for arsenic detection (WHO 2001). Our past work developed a single beam surface plasmon resonance method for detecting arsenic at 20 ppb in pure water. We now describe the extension of this method to lower arsenic detection limits in a ground water sample matrix. Arsenic samples were obtained from ground water wells at over 20 locations in Central Maine. An analytical intercomparison study was performed on these samples using SPR and an ICP- optical emission spectroscopy. This work provides the next step towards an analytically robust method for detecting arsenic in ground water using a single beam SPR instrument.