Scientists Create Method to Test Food and Drugs for Purity

Scientists Create Method to Test Food and Drugs for Purity

Millions of people in developing countries have to be on guard against contaminated food and medicine. Some products could be harmful -- even deadly.

In Nigeria, brake fluid was found in a product designed to reduce teething pain in babies. A few years ago, the chemical melamine was discovered in Chinese baby food. And in Kenya, powerful antibiotic¹ drugs were found to contain talcum powder.

Now, a group of scientists in the United States has found a way to test products before they can cause death or injury. And the process is not costly².

There are many ways for drugs and food to be contaminated, including a manufacturer’s mistake or problems with how the product is stored, or someone could even add a harmful substance.

Marya Lieberman teaches chemistry at Notre Dame³ University in Indiana. She is working to give druggists in developing nations an easy way to identify drug contamination.

Her process is called PAD -- short for Paper Analytical⁴ Device. It replaces costly machines that developing countries may not have.

The PAD project began six years ago as a partnership⁵ between Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College in Maryland. Researchers developed a paper card test for medicines. Each of the card’s 12 lines has a different chemical. When a drug is placed across the lines and the card is put in water, a change in color will show if the drug is safe.

Lieberman says she and the other researchers are developing cards to test for lead, iodine⁶ and even liquid waste.

Jamie Luther is a graduate student at Notre Dame. She is working on a card that will show if milk contains anything harmful.

“There are tests that are published for people at home to mix chemicals to test their own milk. I thought to myself, ‘that’s so cumbersome⁷. People shouldn’t be handling acids in their home. They shouldn’t mix dangerous chemicals with their hands.’”

Lieberman’s team has worked with 18 other universities across the United States to discover the most common contaminants. The team uses special machines to test the drugs collected from pharmacies⁸ throughout the developing world.

Nicholas Myers is another Notre Dame graduate student. He says before he joined the project he did not know how big a problem contaminated drugs are.

“I just took it for granted that chemical analysis could happen anywhere. I didn’t know the extent to which low- and middle-income countries did not have the capacity to do chemical testing.”

A start-up company in New York is developing a smartphone app to help with testing of food products and drugs. The company says testers can take a picture with their phone and then compare it to information in the computer program.

“If we can’t increase the capacity of analytical labs in the developing world, maybe we can come up with a way to bring that technology in a portable form that will be usable in the field.”

Words in This Story

contaminate – v. to make something dangerous, dirty or impure⁹ by adding something harmful or undesirable¹⁰ to it

brake – n. a device for slowing or stopping something (such as a wheel or vehicle)

talcum powder – n. a soft, white powder that is used to make your skin feel dry and smooth

iodine – n. a chemical element that is used especially in medicine and photography

cumbersome – adj. complicated and hard to do

pharmacy¹¹ – n. a store or part of a store in which drugs and medicines are prepared and sold

take it for granted – expression to believe or assume that something is true or probably true without knowing that it is true; to fail to properly notice or appreciate someone or something that is helpful or important to you

extent – n. used to indicate the degree to which something exists, happens or is true

portable – adj. easy to carry or move around

1 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

4 analytical   

adj.分析的；用分析法的

参考例句：

• I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
• As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 iodine   

n.碘，碘酒

参考例句：

• The doctor painted iodine on the cut.医生在伤口上涂点碘酒。
• Iodine tends to localize in the thyroid.碘容易集于甲状腺。

7 cumbersome   

adj.笨重的，不便携带的

参考例句：

• Although the machine looks cumbersome,it is actually easy to use.尽管这台机器看上去很笨重，操作起来却很容易。
• The furniture is too cumbersome to move.家具太笨，搬起来很不方便。

8 pharmacies   

药店

参考例句：

• Still, 32 percent of the pharmacies filled the prescriptions. 但仍然有32%的药剂师配发了这两张药方。 来自互联网
• Chinese herbal pharmacies, and traditional massage therapists in the Vancouver telephone book. 中药店，和传统的按摩师在温哥华的电话簿里。 来自互联网

9 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

10 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

11 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。