China seeks more Israeli water-testing systems

Fears damaged factories may have polluted water sources.

By EHUD ZION WALDOKS
china quake 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
china quake 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
The Chinese Environmental Ministry has urgently requested more water testing systems from the Israeli company Check-Light to determine if there was major water pollution caused by the earthquake which struck last week. The company is scrambling to meet the order in time and says it will have the systems ready to ship by the end of the week. China fears that chemical factories affected by the earthquake might be leaking harmful substances into the water system. They want the Israeli technology to determine if there was any pollution, and, if so, how far it extends. Check-Light has developed a system that can reveal water pollution instantly through the use of light producing bacteria. The technology is based upon a technical breakthrough achieved by Technion Prof. (Emeritus) Shimon Ulitzur. His daughter, Nirit, founded the company and developed the system. These kinds of bacteria have been used to test water quality in the past, but the company has managed to speed up the reaction to achieve real-time results even while detecting small quantities of pollutants. China had already ordered and received 36 such systems, but decided to place an urgent request for more. The Israeli technology is one of the few in the world which can produce instant results. Check-Light's system was one of four water technologies presented at the President's Conference last week. The company has also been awarded NIS 700,000 by the chief scientist to develop a remote real time sensor system to detect chemical pollution.