World first poison test wins praise for NZ scientists

New Zealand scientists have developed a world-first test to find out if someone has been poisoned.

The test, which has won plaudits in the United States from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is expected to enable forensic experts to know within minutes if someone has traces of poisons such as cyanide, arsenic or mercury in their system.

It has been developed at the Environmental Science and Research toxicology laboratory in Porirua by researchers Jacqui Horswell and Natalie Redshaw in association with scientists from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

ESR forensic toxicology spokesman Stuart Dickson said the test worked by using bacteria called biosensors to detect toxic chemicals such as pesticides or inorganic poisons in urine.

Biosensors were common in medicine and soil and food quality testing, but the ESR test was the first time they had been used in forensic toxicology. They glowed if they were free of poison, but got dimmer if toxic chemicals were present.

The advantage with the test was that it was fast and cheap, Dr Dickson said. Scientists could know within minutes if a sample contained poison. Previous testing methods were costly and results could take days.

Forensic laboratories were often asked to exclude poisoning as a factor in a death, and the new test meant this could be done immediately. Although there was no one test that could detect all the eight million known chemicals, the biosensors could greatly reduce any future testing needed.

The Porirua laboratory was the ideal place to develop the test, with soil and forensic experts working together in something of a worldwide rarity. It was two years in development.

An ESR spokeswoman said the laboratory and the test had won praise from a visiting FBI official.

- NZPA