Testing for nickel

[Maestro]

My doctor has diagnosed me with an allergy to nickel, and I want to test various water sources around my house including my pool for nickel.

I’ve found a commercial company that will test samples for me, but they want $50 per sample. Is there a kit out there that I can use to do the tests myself? I’ve been using a TF-100 test kit for three years, so I’m comfortable with doing that kind of water testing.

Also, is a reverse osmosis system effective in removing nickel from tap water?

 

[Swampwoman]

I'm not familiar with nickle test kits but wanted to ask if your Raypak was a cupro-nickle heat exchanger or a copper heat exchanger. If its cupro, I'd expect you'd be more likely to have trace amounts of nickel, in which case the $50 would be worth it.

If I dig anything up test-wise, I'll let you know. But just to give you context, the "pro-Sumer" iron test I use cost $50 from Hannah and its well below pro-level. My best guess is that you won't find anything accurate enough for a health matter, so having a pro analysis would be worth it.

The problem will be monitoring levels if in fact your finding are positive.

 

[Maestro]

Thanks, Swampwoman. I called Raypak and they told me it’s a copper heat exchanger. (The model number ends in C; an X would have meant it’s cupro.)

Please let me know if you dig up anything as far as a test goes, even though I understand your point about the quality of a home test kit. If there’s one available, it might be enough to tell me if my whole-house water softener is removing all of the metals from my well water that’s it’s supposed to.

I'm not familiar with nickle test kits but wanted to ask if your Raypak was a cupro-nickle heat exchanger or a copper heat exchanger. If its cupro, I'd expect you'd be more likely to have trace amounts of nickel, in which case the $50 would be worth it.

If I dig anything up test-wise, I'll let you know. But just to give you context, the "pro-Sumer" iron test I use cost $50 from Hannah and its well below pro-level. My best guess is that you won't find anything accurate enough for a health matter, so having a pro analysis would be worth it.

The problem will be monitoring levels if in fact your finding are positive.

 

[Griswald]

General Heavy Metal Test Kit | Dr. Clark Store

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Most people allergic to nickle find out when their cheap earrings, the backs of jeans buttons, watch bands,etc sits against the skin. In fact most girls obtain this allergy for the first time when getting their ears first pierced and the broken skin allows the cheap earrings (unlike surgical steel or gold) expose them to it. It just usually means they have to wear nicer jewelry and skip the cheap stuff (woo! woo!).

I'm curious as to what signs and symptoms you are experiencing?

Maddie (Nurse by night, Pool Lover by day)

 

[Swampwoman]

Griswald, indeed that test kit appears to test for nickel, but in the description is says that color change sensitivity is at 5 ppm. In a pool, 5 ppm of nickel would likely stain black so I’d expect that this kit is nowhere near sensitive enough.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The only way to measure metal cations in aqueous solutions is through the use of complexometric titrations. The problem is, you'd likely have a mixed ion solution (iron, nickel, copper, etc) and therefore the titration would not tell you much because all of the ions would cause color transitions. For example, nickel can be titrated using a standard EDTA solution with a buffered bromopyrogallol red indicator BUT, if any iron is present, you'll get a positive interference.

If you want to get any accurate determination of nickel levels, an outside lab is your best choice.