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[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

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Agilent Technologies and Metrohm Develop Method for Detecting
Perchlorate Contamination in Water
PALO ALTO, Calif. & HERISAU, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 2004--
Method Provides More Sensitivity, Reliability for Detecting Water
Supplies at Risk


Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) and Metrohm AG today announced a
high-sensitivity method to detect perchlorate in surface and drinking
water. Perchlorate, an explosive propellant used in rocket fuel, is a
widespread and potentially harmful contaminant that affects thyroid
function.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a preliminary
public health goal (PHG) of 1 part per billion (ppb) for perchlorate in
water. Agilent and Metrohm's new method can detect perchlorate at levels
below 100 parts per trillion in drinking or surface water, allowing
regulators and testing laboratories to reliably and easily identify
water supplies that approach or exceed the PHG level.

According to the EPA, there have been confirmed perchlorate releases in
at least 20 U.S. states. The California Department of Health Services
reports that perchlorate has been detected in more than 350 water
sources in California alone.

"This method provides regulatory agencies and laboratories with a
powerful tool to identify and quantify perchlorate contamination and
address potential health risks," said Mike McMullen, vice president and
general manager of Agilent's Chemical Analysis Solutions unit. "The
Agilent/Metrohm method is simple and reliable and does not require
expensive or complex instrumentation. The combination of Agilent's and
Metrohm's leading technologies will help customers meet regulatory
demands for lower detection limits."

The Agilent/Metrohm method uses ion chromatography and mass spectrometry
(IC/MS), combining the Metrohm Advanced Ion Chromatograph and Agilent
1100 Series mass selective detector as an affordable solution for
environmental analysis. This application was developed as part of a
co-marketing agreement between the two companies.

The new method has several advantages over conventional perchlorate
detection techniques, which rely on ion chromatography with conductivity
detection. Typical methods can measure perchlorate only at 1 to 5 ppb in
drinking water, and the sensitivity decreases dramatically as sample
complexity increases. Interference by other ions in the sample can cause
false positive and false negative results. In addition, reproducibility
when analyzing heavy matrix samples such as river water or wastewater is
poor.

"By using relatively simple parameters and robust instrumentation, the
Agilent/Metrohm method effectively reduces ion interference and
eliminates many of the sensitivity and reproducibility problems seen
with other methods," said Helwig Schaefer, vice president of Metrohm.
"This clearly illustrates the feasibility and effectiveness of coupling
IC and MS for this and other environmental applications."  Further
information is available by requesting Agilent's "The Analysis of
Perchlorate by Ion Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry" application note,
publication 5989-0816EN. This note is available without charge from any
Agilent sales office or at www.agilent.com/chem/environmental.

About Metrohm AG

Metrohm provides quality instruments and services for chemical ion
analysis. Headquartered in Herisau, Switzerland, Metrohm and its
distributors worldwide provide top-class service and instrumentation for
all fields of chemical ion analysis. Information about Metrohm is
available at www.metrohm.com.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is a global technology leader in
communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The
company's 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries.
Agilent had net revenue of $6.1 billion in fiscal year 2003. Information
about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com

for the original press release, see
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp and search for "Agilent"

--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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