AB SCIEX, a global leader in life science analytical technologies, announced on December 8 a collaboration with Landeswasserversorgung Water Supply, one of the foremost water supply and treatment organizations in Europe, to improve the identification of contaminants in drinking water. Scientists at the waterworks in Langenau are using a new generation of mass spectrometry technology – the AB SCIEX TripleTOF™ 5600 System – to develop new test methods that can be adopted by testing facilities around the world to obtain better results for water analysis.

This collaboration responds to the continued issue of tainted drinking water and addresses the need to increase information about contaminants that are not typically targeted in water testing and can easily go undetected by current technologies. To better serve the public interest, Landeswasserversorgung Water Supply, which provides drinking water to approximately 3 million people in southern Germany, is analyzing water from the Danube River with AB SCIEX mass spectrometry technology through which a wider range of harmful chemicals can be detected.

To produce this critical information from general unknown screening of organic compounds in water, this German water supply company has installed the AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600 System, which is the life science industry’s fastest and most sensitive high-resolution mass spectrometer for high-performance qualitative and quantitative analysis. They will utilize this innovative system to develop new methods to expand the range of contaminants that can be screened in repeatable, systematic ways. The TripleTOF 5600 System is the only system that combines the highest available sensitivity and speed with high resolution. Scientists can use the system to generate better quality information from samples more easily than previously possible.

“Improving control over the quality of drinking water and raw water resources requires powerful analytical tools," said Walter H. Weber, Ph.D., Head of Laboratory for Operation Control and Research, Landeswasserversorgung Water Supply. "Our collaboration with AB SCIEX gives us the best opportunity to use the latest technology for the most accurate and fastest results for water contaminant analysis. By developing new analytical methods on the AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600 platform, we will be better equipped to produce more information than previously possible that we can use in the continuous process of analyzing water and monitoring trends in contamination levels.”

The analysis and method development will take place at Landeswasserversorgung Water Supply’s facilities in Germany. The scientists will also validate the methods to save time and expense for other water testing laboratories. Earlier this month, Landeswasserversorgung Water Supply presented details of its strategies and progress, including its partnership with AB SCIEX, at its on-site symposium ‘Langenauer Wasserforum’, which was attended by hundreds of European water testing experts to learn about better ways to analyze water. Landeswasserversorgung has a successful history of working with AB SCIEX, including past development of targeted methods with QTRAP technology to integrate quantitative and qualitative analysis for water testing.

“The community of scientists responsible for the quality of drinking water recognizes the need to use new innovation in technology to improve results," said Joe Anacleto, Vice President and General Manager of the Applied Markets and Clinical Research Business, AB SCIEX. "The TripleTOF 5600 System is a groundbreaking advancement that has the potential to do more to advance screening for unknown contaminants in water than any other technology in years. As a trusted partner, Landeswasserversorgung Water Supply chose to work with us once again because they are seeing what TripleTOF can do for them to help enhance their position as a leader in water contaminant testing.”