Scientists have developed a new pill to test the quality of water. The pill is very simple to use to determine how good the water is for drinking purpose, instead of sending it to a laboratory for the same.

All you have to do is drop the pill in a vial of water and shake vigorously. If you see change in color of the water, you get to know the answer.

Carlos Filipe, a professor of chemical engineering at McMaster University in Canada, said they took the inspiration from breath strips. They were able to store precisely measured amounts of enzymes and other active agents in pills made up of the same naturally occurring substance used in breath strips.

This is a form of regular chemistry and scientists know that it works, but now in a pill form, said John Brennan, director of Biointerfaces Institute, McMaster University in Canada.

Pullulan is the material that was used by scientists for its ability that protects sensitive agents from oxygen and temperature changes. They become solid in dry conditions. Scientists have had to store such agents in cold

temperatures until now. Moreover, they had to be shipped in vials packed in huge chunks of dry ice, which significantly increased the cost and inconvenience.

The new technology is now believed to be used in significant public health applications for testing water, especially in remote areas and developing countries that are deprived of testing infrastructure.

Sana Jahanshahi-Anbuhi, a PhD student in Chemical Engineering, conceived the idea of a pill that can be used for water testing purposes. After looking in breath strips in detail, Sana figured out that some material used in the dissolving strips could be used for other applications as well.

"This is regular chemistry that we know works but is now in pill form. The user can be anybody in a village somewhere who can take a pill out of a bottle and drop it in water", said Brennan.