Seeing the “Unseeable,” A Student-Led Activity to Identify Metals in Drinking Water

Abstract

Municipal drinking water, regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency via the Safe Drinking Water act, has long been assumed to be contaminant-free. However, crises related to drinking water have emerged, most notably the “Flint Water Crisis” in Flint, MI, where high levels of lead (Pb) were detected in the area’s water. Much of the water-sampling data collected in Flint was obtained by “Citizen Scientists” working closely with a team of researchers at Virginia Tech, who used the analytical technique of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to quantify metal ions present in the water. Inspired by these efforts, we developed adaptable public water testing outreach efforts, led by students in Baltimore city (Middle School, High School, and College), to test the city’s drinking water. These “student-scientists” read news and scientific articles to understand the public health impact of lead in drinking water and the analytical approaches scientists use to detect metal ions in water. The students then developed a written “water collection protocol” and sought participation from colleagues (other students, faculty, and staff) who collected their home drinking water to be tested. The student scientists prepared and analyzed samples for lead (Pb) as well as copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) metal ions commonly found in drinking water, to be tested via ICP-MS. Data were then plotted onto a map of Baltimore City, with the metal levels indicated for each Zip code. This outreach event connects science to real-life news events while teaching analytical methodology and can be tailored to students at various stages of their education.

Nanoparticle-Based Liquid–Liquid Extraction for the Determination of Metal Ions

“…The quantitation of metals is a challenge that has implications in medicine, microbiology, water chemistry, and geology. − Innovations upon demanding analytical procedures that allow for quick and high-throughput analysis are a necessity. Our nanoparticle extraction assay provides a platform that enables easy quantification of metals by adopting bulk phase extraction reagents and principles.…”

“…Quantifying metals is an ongoing scientific problem that has implications in a wide range of disciplines. − Traditional measurement techniques that use large-scale equipment (e.g., atomic absorption, X-ray absorbance or fluorescence, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) have benefits such as high sensitivity, identification of oxidation states, and multiple element determination. However, there are disadvantages such as complicated operations, expensive equipment and reagents, and time-intensive sample preparation.…”

Single‐Component Chemical Nose with a Hemicyanine Probe for Pattern‐Based Discrimination of Metal Ions†

“…A number of analytical instruments serve for such a purpose, including ion chromatography, ion‐selective electrodes, atomic spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, electrophoresis, and so on. [ 10‐15 ] However, these instruments are cumbersome and require time‐consuming sample preparation and pretreatment. To meet the escalating challenges in modern analytical chemistry, new methods suitable for real time and in‐situ measurements are in urgent demand.…”

Engaging Social Science and Humanities Students in Community-Based Research on Nitrogen Oxide Pollution

“…For example, local environmental issues have been included in several analytical chemistry courses , and in work to use publicly available information on brownfield sites to map pollutant locations in a course in environmental engineering . Environmental concerns are also at the center of service learning activities in chemistry courses, such as a comprehensive survey of metals in well water. , Providing socioscientific links to chemistry content has also been done in curricula that address cultural and demographic diversity as a component of the learning experience …”