Question #8c879
1 Answer
Arsenic Detection Via Paper Strips
Explanation:
This project idea stems from the fact that in Bangladesh, twenty million people have no choice but to drink water that is contaminated with Arsenic. They don't have much of a choice, because they get their contaminated water from smalls wells dug by the World Bank because the above ground water is contaminated by feces and water borne diseases.
Arsenic is a highly toxic element (number 33), and was used so extensively during the Middle Ages & Renaissance that it earned the name "inheritance powder" due to the fact that it was used to kill relatives.
Modern tests are highly effective but are too expensive to be implemented on a large scale. Therefore, for people to know whether their water is contaminated, a cheap method must be developed, and paper strip testing (like litmus paper but for Arsenic) must be developed.
Good luck!
