Israeli scientists have created an
ingenious sensor that can detect two of the most commonly employed date rape
drugs with 100 percent accuracy.
A quick stir can
tell it all
Just
stirring your drink can reveal whether its laced with date rape drugs, say
researchers!
Israeli
scientists claim that they have created an ingenious sensor that resembles a
straw or a stirrer which is capable of detecting two of the most commonly
employed date rape drugs with 100 percent accuracy.
Fernando
Patolsky, chemistry professor at Tel Aviv University who
co-created the device said
"It samples a very small volume of the drink and mixes it with a testing
solution. This causes a chemical reaction that makes the solution cloudy or
colored, depending on the drug."
The reaction then turns on a small red light which
alerts the person consuming the drink, even in the dingiest bars, to abandon
the drink
.
Creating
a sensor that is fast, accurate and affordable wasnt easy for the researchers
but Patolsky and his partner Michael Ioffe think it's an absolute necessity.
"Preventing
it is the best thing to do.I hope it will be sold in bars, in pharmacies," said Patolsky, who is the father of three young daughters. He informed
that thedevice wouldcost less than a drink and is designed to
be used multiple times until it comes in contact and reacts with a drug.
For now the sensor detects
GHB
(gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) and ketamine. The team hopes to add
Rohypnal
- "ruffies" - to the list of drugs that can be detected within a
span of a year.
However, the use of
these date drugs, which are powerful odorless, colorless and tasteless
sedatives, is actually very limited is actually very low. According to Dr.
Robert DuPont, the first director of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
and current president of the Institute for Behavior and Health,
alcohol is
the bigger factor when it comes to unwanted sexual encounters.
DuPont believes that people are putting
themselves in high risk situations when they consume alcohol.
It has always been discussed since times of
yore that if guys can get their dates drunk their chances of indulging in sex
were better.
"It's
another reason not to use drugs and not to drink too much, because you're very
vulnerable to all kinds of things," Dupont said. Although he's impressed by
the technology of the sensor, Dupont isnt sure of the sensor's applicability
and says that the device would have to be used universally to make a big
difference.
Nevertheless,
Patolsky and Ioffe feel that the importance of their discovery is great and are
eagerly looking forward to their product reaching the market.
Reference:
1. Third age.com
2. FRENCHTRIBUNE.com
Source-Medindia