Arsenic testing in area grade schools using anodic stripping voltammetry

CHED 814

Nathan A. Morris and Jay H. Brown.
The current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard for arsenic in drinking water is 50 parts per billion (ppb). In 2001, the EPA adopted a new standard of 10 ppb. Public water utilities must comply by January 23, 2006. (1)

To prepare for this new standard, our Chemistry Club is modifying its popular lead-testing (service-learning) project to include arsenic in drinking water. (2)

This poster outlines our first step in this direction including new cleaning procedures, method development, spike analysis, error analysis, and detection limit calculations.

1. See http://www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic.html (accessed 10-14-05).

2. Goebel, A.; Vos, T.; Louwagie, A.; Lundbohm, L.; Brown, J.; J. Chem. Ed., 2004, 81(2), 214-217.