This is how York-based DeepVerge is helping to detect toxins in the drinking water at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

York-based DeepVerge said its environmental division, Modern Water, had completed the installation of Microtox Continuous Toxicity Monitor (CTM) permanent units and Microtox FX portable laboratory units in the city.

Microtox CTM continuously measures the chemical toxicity of a water source, giving instant indication of water health.

It is a fully automatic instrument that offers a four-week, autonomous operating cycle and requires a low level of skill for both operation and maintenance.

Meanwhile, Microtox FX has a combined detection capability that provides a very sensitive and rapid test to detect two of the most probable classes of agents, pathogens and toxic chemicals that may accidentally or intentionally contaminate drinking water or wastewater.

DeepVerge said Microtox FX’s acute toxicity and ATP detection capabilities make it the ideal instrument for rapidly and accurately assessing if the quality of drinking water, from the source to the tap, has been affected by an incident.

Gerard Brandon, CEO of DeepVerge, said: “Once again, water suppliers to the Olympic Games have placed their trust, and the safety of athletes and officials, in the hands of Modern Water.

"The company’s Microtox toxicity testing has been used at every Olympics competition since Los Angeles 1984, apart from last year’s Tokyo Olympics because of travel restrictions.

"With the Covid-19 pandemic still affecting much of the world, the importance of identifying pathogens in water can’t be overstated, which is why Modern Water are working with governments to help track the virus and even predict where future outbreaks could occur.”

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James Mitchinson