Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and the Human Stress Signal Research Center have jointly developed a low-cost device for rapid measurement of dioxin concentrations.

The conventional dioxin measuring equipment is large in size, costs as much as 5 to 100 million yen per unit (about U.S.$42,000 to $830,000) and requires more than four weeks to carry out complex analyses.

The new palmtop device (9 x 13 x 3 cm) is portable, weighing only 260 grams. Measured data can be analyzed just in six hours once the solution to be tested is prepared, making rapid on-site data analyses of dioxin contamination now possible.

The accuracy of the new device, which employs a quartz crystal microbalance method, is the same as or better than the conventional type using a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method. This is the world's first easy-to-use device for measuring dioxins, and it is expected to be available on the market within this fiscal year for a price of around 100,000 yen (about U.S.$830).

http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/latest_research/2002/20020717/20020717.html

Posted: 2002/09/22 07:12:14 AM
Japanese version

TAG Chemicals , Eco-product/Business , Manufacturing industry , Technology , University/Research institute