Loveland, Colorado, January, 2009 — Hach Company has acquired the Eclox Rapid Response Water Test Kit from Severn Trent Services (STS). Initially designed for military applications, Eclox tests for chemical contamination of water in just four minutes. In addition to its use by the military and humanitarian relief agencies, the technology is quickly finding increasing use by water utilities as a safeguard against intentional or accidental contamination in water distribution systems. The Eclox Rapid Response Water Test Kit is now available from Hach Homeland Security Technologies (HST).

“Eclox is an important addition to our growing product offering for the protection of public water supplies,” says Katy Craig, director of Hach HST. “This proven field test system, which targets EPA emergency response protocol recommendations for a very wide variety of crucial water quality parameters, both compliments and further widens our existing technology range by affording municipalities and water companies with yet another practical tool for first-response assessment of water supply contamination.”

At the heart of the Hach Eclox Water Test Kit is the Eclox luminometer for generic identification of the toxicity or purity of a water sample via the Eclox Chemiluminescence Toxicity Test. The technique used by the luminometer is the same as that validated by the USEPA Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program to yield reliable detection of heavy metals, poisons, and chemical warfare agents on site. Additional tests for specific physical and chemical parameters are also provided with the kit, ranging from sewage to phenols, amines, heavy metals, cyanide, chlorine, nerve and mustard gas, pesticides and many others.

The Hach Eclox Water Test Kit provides economical, qualitative indication of water quality that quickly helps operators, technicians, and first responders determine if further, comprehensive analysis – and water isolation and/or emergency action – is warranted. Environmental studies have also been conducted using the Eclox kit. Replacement reagents for new and existing test kits are available exclusively from Hach Homeland Security Technologies.

Hach Homeland Security Technologies focuses on the development of innovative and breakthrough technologies that can be used to detect contamination events, terrorist activity, and improve general operational control in both water and air.