The copper sensor shown in the photo is made of common materials such as copper foil, tape, transparency, paper, nail polish, circuit-making solution, and tone that can detect heavy metals in human sweat and other water bodies. Photo: Courtesy of Anderson MD Compose, University of Munich
Sao Paulo: A flexible sensor has been made from household items including copper wire, tape, plastic, nail polish and acetone that can detect the presence of heavy metals in the human body that are excreted through sweat.
These heavy metals can also be found in the make-up of factory workers and women, which are very harmful to human health.
Lead and cadmium are found in batteries, other types of heavy metals found in food packaging and many makeup products are all around us. By entering the body, they affect the organs and can cause many life-threatening diseases. As their amount increases in the human body, they are excreted in various fluids, including sweat. Its detection systems are very expensive and difficult to use, and hence a cost-effective and effective sensor has been developed.
Scientists from Germany, Brazil and Sweden jointly developed the sensor, the details of which have been published in Chemosensors. Since lead and cadmium can be reflected in sweat, the flexible sensor can easily detect the presence of these two metals. The sensor can even be manufactured on a commercial scale at a very low cost while still operating continuously.
This sensor can be easily stuck on a transparent tape and can be used repeatedly. After sweating, it is connected to a device called ‘potentiostat’ which shows the level of the two toxic metals in the sweat. The good thing is that the results can be viewed on a smartphone and computer. Also very suitable for wells and water reservoirs where the risk of heavy metal contamination is ever present.