Aquagenx Compartment Bag Test Validates Effectiveness of Helioz WADI Device for Solar Disinfection of Water

    CHAPEL HILL, NC, November 15, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Helioz, the inventor of the WADI device for solar water disinfection, now uses the Aquagenx Compartment Bag Test to validate the effectiveness of the WADI as a reliable indicator of solar water disinfection and to ensure drinking water does not contain dangerous E. coli bacteria.

Helioz is an Austrian social enterprise engaged in the development and sale of affordable products for households in low income countries. In partnership with a local NGO, Helioz initiated an intervention program to supply clean drinking water to a community of about 10,000 people in Mabarara, Western Uganda using solar water disinfection (SODIS) in conjunction with their WADI device.

This area in Western Uganda has relatively low ambient temperatures, which presents difficulties for onsite water quality testing in the field.

One of the main reasons Helioz selected he Aquagenx Compartment Bag Test (CBT) water quality test kit for their field work to test for E. coli bacteria is the CBT overcomes roadblocks to water quality testing in lower climates.

The CBT enables ambient temperature incubation at 25 degrees Celsius and above, and works at variable temperatures without requiring electricity or an incubator. Helioz also adopted the CBT because of its portability and ease-of-use in low resource areas.

Helioz tested a village drinking water source with CBT Kits to quantify E. coli bacteria in 100 mL water samples. This source was known to have high levels of E. coli, as it is near cow pastures. Because ambient temperatures were comparatively low (below 29 degree Celsius during the day and below 20 degree Celsius at night), they incubated CBT samples at ambient temperatures for the recommended 48-hour incubation period in colder climates.

CBT test results confirmed the water source was unsafe to drink. Most samples contained greater than 100 E. coli per 100 mL, placing them in the Unsafe health risk category. Helioz then filtered the same highly contaminated samples through a cotton cloth to reduce turbidity, poured the water into a plastic bottle and placed it in the sun next to their WADI. After 2.75 hours, the WADI confirmed the water was safe to drink.

Finally, Helioz tested this disinfected water with the CBT and results revealed zero E. coli, proving the WADI ensures water is safe to drink and solar disinfection kills dangerous E. coli bacteria.

Juri Wawra, Project Manager at Helioz says "We will absolutely continue using the CBT. It's a great test because it's easy to use, provides test results quickly and requires very few materials."

"Although we did not have a comparator with these specific samples," continues Wawra, "the obviously contaminated nature of the source and the known ability of using SODIS to destroy E. coli confirmed that all tests were accurate. The CBT is an excellent solution to test for E. coli, the most reliable indicator of fecal pathogens in water."

About the Aquagenx Compartment Bag Test:

The Aquagenx Compartment Bag Test (CBT), is a simple, portable water quality test kit for E. coli bacteria that generates quantified, easy-to-score, color-change test results. It is ideal for on-site testing in low resource, rural and disaster/emergency areas. No electricity, laboratories, cold chain, expensive equipment or skilled technicians are required to use the CBT. CBT Kits are used throughout the world by NGOs, humanitarian relief agencies, governments, private companies, universities and agricultural operations.

www.aquagenx.com

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