Welcome to General Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

.:: General Pharma :: Arsenic field test kit. ::.

The people of Bangladesh used to utilize surface water a few decades ago. Diarrhea & related disease reached epidemic proportions due to use of surface water at that time. The people of Bangladesh in collaboration with UNICEF started using ground water from tubewell in the hope of preventing epidemic. The people of this region got relief significantly from this epidemic because of germ free groundwater.

According to UNICEF 98% people drink tubewell water in Bangladesh. There are approximately 8 million to 1 crore tubewell in Bangladesh.

But it is a matter of regret that though people got rid from one epidemic,
Groundwater arsenicosis problem has been broken out for last few years.
Now arsenic is a social and national problem.
This problem creates illness as well as handicaps society.
Many of them become victim of mental disorders.
They think that they are affected by a serious disease or any terrible infection.

Even the marriage of an arsenic affected girl has been hampered.To avoid arsenicosis we need to drink arsenic free water. But before that arsenic free tubewell should be identified. There is laboratory test to determine the existence of arsenic in water.But Laboratory test is time consuming, expensive and needs skilled laboratory assistant.Our country has fewer number of laboratories of where arsenic test in the water is possible.With the help of these few laboratories, it is impossible to identify the arsenic of 1 crore tubewell in Bangladesh.

To realize this problem as a health threat over Bangladesh people, General Pharmaceuticals Ltd. had produced a special kit which was helpful to determine the existence and extent of arsenic into the tubewell easily.

After performing a huge research work & investment, General Pharmaceuticals has invented a more developed, accurate and easily useable field test kit by which a non technical person can easily determine the existence and extent of arsenic in any tubewell water.

It is mentioned that General Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is the only company that is producing arsenic field test kit.

Introduction:

There are two different ways for the determination of arsenic in water. One is Laboratory method and the other is field test kit method. It is easy to determine arsenic in water at field level by using Arsenic Field Test Kit. As field kit is spot-checking method, so test should be performed near to the tubewell

Water sample collection procedure:
Pump the tubewell and allow the water to flow out for five minutes. Wash the sample water container with sample water and collect the sample.
Different parts of GPL-Kit:

1. Plastic Reaction Vessel : 1 piece
2. Reagent – 1 : 1 container
3. Reagent – 2 : 1 container
4. Bromide strip container : 1 piece ( 100 Mercuric bromide strips)
5. Spoon : 2 pieces (Two different colour – R1 & R2)
6. Colour chart : 1 copy (Colour chart with test procedure)
7. Lead acetate cotton : 1 container
8. plastic bag : 1 piece (for used strip)
9. plastic syringe : 1 piece (5 ml)
10. Gloves : 1 pair
11.Mask : 1 piece

Test Procedure

Wear your gloves and mask.
Unscrew the black cap of the reaction vessel.
The black screw cap has a small hole and a flap, attached on upper part of this black. Tear off a small piece of supplied lead acetate saturated cotton and make a ball of slat size and press the ball into the small hole of the black cap from the bottom side.
Lift the flap of the black cap and insert a bromide strip into the groove so that the reaction zone faces the small opening and completely cover it. Press the flap back in place.
Rinse the reaction vessel three times with the sample water.
Transfer 5 ml of sample water to the reaction vessel by using supplied 5 ml plastic syringe.
Add one spoon of reagent -1 to the reaction vessel.
Add one spoon of reagent –2 to the reaction vessel and immediately attach the black cap to the reaction vessel.
Wait 20 minutes. Swirl twice during the reaction period.
Remove test strip after 20 minutes and compare the developed colour with given colour chart and record it.
If no colour developed on the bromide strip, take 50 ml of the sample water in the reaction vessel and repeat the previous steps.
If again no colour is produced on the bromide strip, it is of no doubt that arsenic concentration of the sample water is less then 10 ppb.

Advantages of GPL-Kit

Solid acid is used in GPL-Kit instead of liquid acid for arsenic test, which is very safe for GPL-Kit users and environment.
GPL-Kit is supported by gloves, mask for health safety.
Sulfide is the main interference of the Mercuric Bromide Stain Method (Kit Method). Extra precaution has been incorporated in GPL-Kit for removing sulfide interference.
No extra-distilled water is required for GPL-Kit for arsenic analysis in the field.
GPL-Kit is used to measure appropriate arsenic concentration in water as fresh Mercuric Bromide Strip gives more precise output.
The test procedure of GPL-Kit is very easy. It needs only two steps and the reaction time is very short.
The GPL-Kit is produced locally. It saves the foreign currency. Cost of GPL-Kit is very competitive compared to any other Arsenic Field Test Kits.
The GPL-Kit box itself works as a communication materials because there are four important message on the box regarding the awareness of arsenic contamination.