New Methods Represent Most Recent Collaborative Efforts of US EPA and Waters Cooperative Research and Development Agreement

MILFORD, Mass., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) today hosted Dr. Lawrence Zintek, National Organic Methods Development Expert, United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Central Regional Laboratory in Chicago, and author of two new rapid screening methods for Alkylphenols and Bisphenol A (BPA) using Waters® ACQUITY UPLC®/Quattro Premier(TM) XE (UPLC/MS/MS) recently published in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International. Dr. Zintek was the keynote speaker at a Waters' breakfast seminar held in conjunction with the Water Quality Technology Conference sponsored by the American Water Works Association in Seattle.

An organic chemical primarily used to make plastics for more than 50 years, BPA is soluble in water and undergoes degradation in the environment. If and when BPA is introduced into the human body, it becomes an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects.(1) Production estimates for BPA exceed six billion pounds each year.(2)

Joe Romano, Senior Manager of Chemical Analysis for the Waters Division of Waters Corporation, said, "The work of the EPA Region 5 Laboratory on BPA is impressive. In publishing these new UPLC-based methods, Dr. Zintek and his team have provided environmental labs worldwide with the roadmap to screen for potentially harmful Alkylphenols and BPA in waters supplies at much lower detection limits faster with reduced solvent consumption. We at Waters are proud of our participation in this CRADA and look forward to continued success."

A CRADA is a formal agreement between private industry and federal laboratories that allow them to work together under the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986. In February of 2005, Waters announced the formation of this CRADA with the EPA's Region 5 Central Regional Laboratory in Chicago. The goal of this ongoing partnership is to develop a screening protocol for the detection of about 280 harmful contaminants in drinking water that aren't easily detectable by current methods of analysis.

The purpose of the research is twofold: to help local water quality officials and water utilities quickly access and, respond to acts of deliberate or unintentional contamination of drinking water by providing routine methods of water analysis.

The newly published method on BPA screening is available online at:

http://www.astm.org/Standards/D7574.htm.

About Waters Corporation (www.waters.com)

Waters Corporation creates business advantages for laboratory-dependent organizations by delivering practical and sustainable innovation to enable significant advancements in such areas as healthcare delivery, environmental management, food safety and water quality worldwide.

Pioneering a connected portfolio of separations science, laboratory information management, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis, Waters technology breakthroughs and laboratory solutions provide an enduring platform for customer success.

With revenue of $1.58 billion in 2008 and 5,000 employees, Waters is driving scientific discovery and operational excellence for customers worldwide.

Waters, ACQUITY, Quattro Premier XE, and UPLC are trademarks of Waters Corporation.

(1) Gore, Andrea C. (June 8, 2007). Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: From Basic Research to Clinical Practice. Contemporary Endocrinology. Humana Press.

(2) Lynn R. Goldman, MD, MPH, professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Environmental Health Sciences, http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/2008/goldman_schwab_bpa.html

SOURCE Waters Corporation

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