Pesticide contamination is a serious risk across agriculture, food safety, emergency response, and public health. And right now, the options for detecting it in the field are either slow, expensive, or both.
That’s the problem TraceCheck™ was built to solve.
What is TraceCheck™?
The TraceCheck™ Pesticide Detection Kit is a compact, field-ready test designed to detect dangerous levels of organophosphate, thiophosphate, and carbamate pesticides on surfaces, plant material, soil, and water in under 10 minutes.
No lab. No expensive equipment. No waiting.
Why it matters
Organophosphate pesticides are some of the most widely used and most toxic chemicals in agriculture and pest control. Compounds like Chlorpyrifos, Malathion, Parathion, and Carbofuran are known acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and at sufficient concentrations, exposure is potentially fatal.
The challenge has always been detection in the field, where you need an answer fast and a lab isn’t an option.
TraceCheck™ changes that.
How it works
The science behind TraceCheck™ is clever but the operation is simple:
- Collect your sample with the included swab (solids and surfaces) or pipette (liquids)
- Crush three ampoules in sequence, each releasing a reagent that drives a colour change reaction
- Read the result: blue means safe, white means pesticide detected
The reaction area contains immobilised acetylcholinesterase enzyme. If pesticides are present, they inhibit the enzyme and the spot stays white. If the enzyme remains active, it reacts with the chromogenic substrate in Ampoule 3 and turns blue. Clean, visual, and unambiguous.
Detection sensitivity is down to 50ppm for organophosphates (5µg for solids), with results confirmed within 10 minutes at ambient temperature.
Built for the field
TraceCheck™ is designed for real-world conditions, not the lab bench. It works across a broad spectrum of pesticide classes, operates between 35 and 110°F, and comes sealed in individual foil pouches with desiccant. Each kit has a 5-year shelf life and requires no instruments, no power supply, and no specialist training.
Every kit is self-contained and ready to deploy the moment it’s opened.
Cost-effective screening at scale
Lab analysis for pesticide contamination can run to thousands of dollars per sample, and that’s before you factor in turnaround time. TraceCheck™ is designed as a first-line screening tool, allowing teams to quickly rule out contamination before committing to expensive confirmatory testing. Use it to triage, prioritise, and act faster.
Please note: positive results are presumptive and should be confirmed by validated analytical testing before any formal reporting or action.
Who is it for?
TraceCheck™ has applications across multiple sectors:
- Agriculture and food safety inspections
- First responder and HazMat teams
- CBRN and defence operations
- Environmental monitoring and water quality testing
- Industrial and occupational health
Available now
TraceCheck™ Pesticide Detection Kits are available from Luxfer Magtech in packs of 5. To find out more or make an enquiry, visit the product page or get in touch with the team directly.