@article{af45f9702eb1461b944aaef01f5866eb,
title = "The accuracy and usability of point-of-use fluoride biosensors in rural Kenya",
abstract = "Geogenic fluoride contaminates the water of tens of millions of people. However, many are unaware of the fluoride content due in part to shortcomings of detection methods. Biosensor tests are a relatively new approach to water quality testing that address many of these shortcomings but have never been tested by non-experts in a “real-world” setting. We therefore sought to assess the accuracy and usability of a point-of-use fluoride biosensor using surveys and field tests in Nakuru County, Kenya. Biosensor tests accurately classified elevated fluoride (≥1.5 ppm) in 89.5% of the 57 samples tested. Usability was also high; all participants were able to use the test and correctly interpreted all but one sample. These data suggest that biosensor tests can provide accurate, meaningful water quality data that help non-experts make decisions about the water they consume. Further scaling of these technologies could provide new approaches to track global progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6.",
author = "Walter Thavarajah and Owuor, {Patrick Mbullo} and Awuor, {Diana Ross} and Karlmax Kiprotich and Rahul Aggarwal and Lucks, {Julius B.} and Young, {Sera L.}",
note = "Funding Information: First and foremost, we sincerely thank all study participants for welcoming us to their homes and sharing their experiences with water insecurity and water testing. For their assistance with data collection, we thank Janet Barsolai Chepchirchir and Maxwell Otieno Aduogo, along with James Yegon (SOAR-Kenya Academy) for assistance with community mobilization. We would also like to thank Charlotte Knopp (Northwestern University) for managing reaction shipment from the United States to Kenya. We thank Dylan Brown (Northwestern University) for helpful insights on sensor temperature stability and for providing some reagents used in this study, along with Hilary Bethancourt (Northwestern University) for advice on statistical analysis. This work was supported by the Carnegie Corporation; Northwestern University{\textquoteright}s Institute for Policy Research and the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies; the support of the American people provided to the Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab through the United States Agency for International Development Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-L-14-00006; and the United States Army Contracting Command W52P1J-21-9-3023. Funding Information: First and foremost, we sincerely thank all study participants for welcoming us to their homes and sharing their experiences with water insecurity and water testing. For their assistance with data collection, we thank Janet Barsolai Chepchirchir and Maxwell Otieno Aduogo, along with James Yegon (SOAR-Kenya Academy) for assistance with community mobilization. We would also like to thank Charlotte Knopp (Northwestern University) for managing reaction shipment from the United States to Kenya. We thank Dylan Brown (Northwestern University) for helpful insights on sensor temperature stability and for providing some reagents used in this study, along with Hilary Bethancourt (Northwestern University) for advice on statistical analysis. This work was supported by the Carnegie Corporation; Northwestern University{\textquoteright}s Institute for Policy Research and the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies; the support of the American people provided to the Feed the Future Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab through the United States Agency for International Development Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-L-14-00006; and the United States Army Contracting Command W52P1J-21-9-3023. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s).",
year = "2023",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1038/s41545-023-00221-5",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "6",
journal = "npj Clean Water",
issn = "2059-7037",
publisher = "Springer Nature",
number = "1",
}