KITS FOR RAPID MONITORING OF LEAD AND ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN WATER (REVIEW)

Abstract

The health hazards associated with heavy metal exposure have become better understood over the years including those resulting from lead and arsenic contamination. Early and accurate detection of both heavy metals in water is crucial, hence, the use of bioanalytical test kits or biosensors for real-time detection of lead and arsenic in water has been recommended as a viable alternative to the use of conventional analytical techniques for onsite water monitoring. Current advances in the design of bioreceptors and their signal pathways also suggest that various bioanalytical kits can be designed to produce significant and quantifiable signals indicating the presence of lead and arsenic in water samples. This review describes the general structure, principle of operation and classification of biosensors. It evaluates available reports on the design of bioanalytical kits for lead and arsenic detection including enzyme immobilization on different nanoparticle-based platforms, non-enzyme bioreceptors, whole-cell bacteria-based bioreceptors as well as the signal pathways utilized by these kits. This review also evaluates the efficiency of some bioengineering constructs and highlights their limitations in order to proffer guidance on adopting the appropriate strategy for developing viable rapid test kits for onsite water monitoring.