The Cadmium Detection Kit (Rapid – Field Use) is a cadmium test kit for on-site screening of water samples for cadmium at 5 ppb. Each kit contains 10 single-use lateral flow cassettes, used in pairs so that every sample is read beside a negative control, with results in 15 to 30 minutes.
The field version (catalog AU2030) includes water sample bottles and disposable transfer pipettes, so samples can be collected and tested at the site without lab equipment. Only a timer is needed.
Key Features
- Screening level: a lighter test line indicates cadmium at 5 ppb or higher; no test line indicates 50 ppb or higher.
- Quick turnaround: read results 15 to 30 minutes after applying the sample.
- Paired negative control: a ready-to-use negative control is supplied for each sample.
- Complete for field use: sample bottles, pipettes and buffer tubes are included.
- Room-temperature storage: store the kit at 2 to 30 °C, with cassettes sealed in their pouches until use.
- Optional reader: a lateral flow reader can produce numerical readings from the visual result.
What’s in the Kit
Each cadmium test kit includes:
- 10 cadmium test cassettes, each in a foil pouch with desiccant
- 10 disposable transfer pipettes
- 5 Sample Dilution Buffer tubes
- 5 Negative Control tubes
- 5 water sample bottles
- Instruction manual
You will also need: a timer. Cadmium solutions of known concentration are optional if you want approximate concentrations or a positive control. This page also offers 5-test and 20-test sizes.
Who It’s For
This cadmium test kit is designed for field staff, environmental consultants, researchers and site managers who need a fast screening answer where water is collected, such as near industrial sites, mining areas, wells or surface water. No pipettor or laboratory experience is needed.
Labs with their own pipettes and sample containers can use the Cadmium Detection Kit (Rapid – Lab), which uses the same cassettes without the field supplies. For quantitative measurement, use the Cadmium Ion ELISA Kit.
How to Use the Cadmium Test Kit
Collect water in the supplied sample bottle. Samples can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or frozen if they must be held longer. Let the cassettes, buffer and samples reach room temperature before testing.
- Open two sealed cassettes for each sample: one for the sample and one for the negative control.
- Sample: using a transfer pipette, take 150 µL of sample from the water sample bottle and add it to a Sample Dilution Buffer tube. Mix by pipetting up and down 3 times.
- Add the diluted sample to the sample port of the first cassette.
- Negative control: with a new pipette, add 150 µL of the Negative Control directly to the sample port of the second cassette.
- Incubate for 15 to 30 minutes, then read both cassettes side by side.
Full instructions are in the Cadmium Lateral Flow Kit Manual (AU2030).
Reading the Results
A visible control line must be present for the result to be valid. Compare the test line of the sample cassette with the test line of the negative control cassette:
- Below the detection limit: the sample test line is as dark as, or darker than, the control test line.
- 5 ppb or higher: the sample test line is lighter than the control test line.
- 50 ppb or higher: no test line is visible; only the control line appears.
Read within the stated window, because line intensity changes as the strip dries. For approximate concentrations between 0 and 20 ppb, test cadmium solutions of known concentration at the same time and compare line intensities. Do not compare against strips that were run earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How sensitive is the cadmium test kit?
The kit screens water for cadmium at 5 ppb. A missing test line indicates about 50 ppb or more.
How long does it take to get a result?
Results are read 15 to 30 minutes after the sample and negative control are applied.
Is this a quantitative test?
No. The cadmium test kit gives preliminary qualitative results. Confirm results with a quantitative method such as instrumental analysis, especially for samples that may require regulatory action.
What samples can I test?
The manual’s intended use is water samples. Contact Attogene before testing other sample types.
How is the field kit different from the lab kit?
The field kit adds sample bottles and disposable transfer pipettes. The lab kit contains the cassettes, buffer and negative controls and assumes you supply pipettes and containers.
Rapid field kits are also available for lead and mercury.
For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. Questions? Call 512-333-1330 or email sales@attogene.com.
