How to Monitor Pollution With Microbes
- 1). Create a natural bio-sensor using a marine bacteria such as Vibrio Fischeri (a naturally bioluminescent bacterium).
- 2). Using the luminometer, take a preliminary measurement of light emitted by the natural bio-sensor in a sample of water you know is not polluted. This serves as your control.
- 3). Station a small laboratory at the site or sites to be tested for pollution. Take a container suitable for collecting the water to be tested and safety equipment depending on the type of pollution expected. You also need your luminometer.
- 4). Add the bio-sensor organisms to the suspected polluted medium (river, waterway or effluent).
- 5). Collect a sample of the polluted medium containing the bio-sensor.
- 6). Measure the blue-green light emitted using a luminometer. According to Aboatox, it only takes between 5 and 30 minutes to perform this test accurately using a modern plate luminometer. If the bacteria sustain a reduced metabolic enzymatic activity due to pollutant contamination, they will produce proportionally less light. The wavelength you should be expecting is 490 nanometers (nm).
Source...