Agreement Announced to Develop Methods for Detecting Emerging Water Contaminants

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced this week an agreement with Shane Snyder, an authority on water contamination from the University of Arizona’s Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and the university’s BIO5 Institute to work to develop ways to detect emerging contaminants in water, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products and other substances used in everyday life. The collaboration is expected to increase the ability of scientists to accurately detect contamination in water supplies in order to protect the environment and public health.

"The partnership with Agilent allows the University of Arizona to more effectively influence water reuse and desalination strategies by ensuring that the required water quality has been achieved for its intended use," said Snyder. "Not only will we investigate known potential threats to water quality, we will also bridge the gap between detection and health by developing methodologies that can screen water for toxicity from multiple compounds."

"This collaboration will allow us to share applications developed by Dr. Snyder's group in the area of water use and reuse with other researchers," said Joe Weitzel, global environmental manager at Agilent.

The collaboration provides the university and BIO5 with analytical capabilities. Using Agilent equipment, nearly any imaginable trace organic or inorganic contaminant can be detected and analyzed, allowing for an ultra-comprehensive analysis of water, including the development of chemical signatures unique to a particular water source.

The collaboration will be centered at the BIO5 Institute on the University of Arizona campus, where the infrastructure for work combining biological and chemical research already exists.