Heavy Metal
Testing.
Field-Ready.

Lab-grade lead and copper detection at the tap — in under five minutes, by any field technician. Replace weeks of lab turnaround with real-time compliance data across your entire network.

Pilot with us ↗ See the Technology
NYC DEP Pilot ↗ "Reduced sample turnaround from 6 weeks to under 5 minutes" — Assistant Compliance Supervisor / Scientist, Bureau of Water Supply, NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Segura reader and phone being used over an open body of water
Backed & featured by
01 — The Problem

Lead contamination is a hidden crisis — and it's not being tested.

200,000
Children in the UK currently living with lead poisoning from water systems. (UK Gov, 2023)
6M
Homes in the US alone at risk of lead exposure through drinking water infrastructure. (NRDC)
>50%
Of the US population exposed to elevated lead levels during early childhood. (PNAS, 2022)

Current testing methods aren't keeping pace with the scale of the problem.

Centralised lab testing is slow, expensive, and labour-intensive. Samples must be collected, packaged, and couriered by trained staff. A specialist chemist processes each one. Results come back days — sometimes weeks — later. By then, the situation on the ground has moved on.

For utilities and operators, that means more staff hours per sample, higher per-test costs, and monitoring programmes that are too infrequent to be meaningful. As lead limits tighten under the EPA Lead and Copper Rule, the EU Drinking Water Directive, and UK DWI guidance, the compliance gap is growing.

Segura was built to close it.

How Segura solves this
02 — How It Works

Three steps. Five minutes.
No lab required.

Built on Anodic Stripping Voltammetry — decades of proven electrochemical science — reimagined with medical-grade manufacturing.

01
Collect & prepare your sample
Standard water sample collection using the Segura kit. No hazardous reagents. Preparation takes under 60 seconds with no prior training required.
→
Hands inserting a Segura sensor strip into the reader, with the mobile app visible
02
Insert the test strip into the reader
The proprietary single-use sensor strip — similar in concept to a glucose monitor — is inserted into the portable reader. The device handles all electrochemical analysis automatically.
→
03
Read results. Sync to cloud.
Results appear in the Segura app in under five minutes. Raw data syncs automatically to cloud storage for audit trails, reporting, and regulatory compliance records.
90%
Cost reduction vs.
centralised lab testing
<5min
From sample to result —
no calibration needed
6 Weeks → 5 Minutes
Sample turnaround
measured in field pilots
~75%
Reduction in per-sample
programme labour hours
03 — The Advantage

Every metric.
Segura wins.

Traditional lab testing was built for a different era. Here's how the two methods compare head-to-head.

🏛 Traditional Lab Testing Status quo
✕
Days to weeks for resultsSamples must be couriered to a fixed lab. Turnaround ranges from 48 hours to several weeks.
✕
£30–£150+ per testLab fees, specialist labour, courier logistics, and sample handling all add up — fast.
✕
Trained chemist requiredEach sample must be processed by a specialist analyst, limiting test frequency and scale.
✕
Daily calibration & toxic wasteStandards preparation is time-consuming and generates hazardous chemical waste.
✕
Manual paperwork, error-proneResults transcribed by hand into compliance systems — slow, inconsistent, and hard to audit.
⚡ Segura Field-ready
✓
Results in under 5 minutesOn-site, at the point of risk — no waiting, no logistics, no days of uncertainty.
✓
Up to 90% lower total costAffordable per-test pricing with no courier, no lab overhead, no specialist fees.
✓
Any field technician can run itNo chemistry background required. Trained in minutes — not months.
✓
No calibration, everEach single-use strip carries its own calibration data. Zero daily setup. Zero toxic waste.
✓
Automatic cloud sync, full audit trailGPS-tagged results sync in real time — complete regulatory documentation, no manual entry.
04 — Step by Step

The full workflow, compared.

Eight steps in a traditional lab workflow. Segura eliminates most of them entirely.

StepTraditional WorkflowSegura Workflow
1. Sample CollectionHomeowner/utility worker collects sampleUtility worker collects sample
2. Sample TransportCourier transports to lab (delays, costs)No transport needed
3. Sample LoggingLab technician logs and stores sampleNot required
4. Sample PreparationLab technician prepares/digests sampleNot required
5. AnalysisICP-MS operator runs testOn-site
6. Quality ControlQC manager reviews dataAutomated calibration in device
7. ReportingResults entered and sent manuallyAutomatic cloud upload via app
8. Compliance ReviewUtility/regulator interprets resultsImmediate results available
Total Cost Per Sample$225 – $560$25 – $60
Total People Involved8–91–2
Time to ResultDays to Weeks< 5 Minutes
✓ Faster, simpler, up to 90% cheaper
Segura Dashboard

Your results.
In real time.

Every test your field teams run is automatically synced to the Segura dashboard — GPS-tagged, timestamped, and ready for compliance reporting the moment it's complete.

📍
Live map of your network See every sampling point, colour-coded by result. Spot exceedances the moment they're flagged in the field.
📈
Trend analysis over time Track lead and copper concentrations across sites and seasons. Identify patterns before they become compliance issues.
📋
Export-ready compliance reports One-click exports formatted for DWI, EPA, and EU DWD reporting requirements. No manual data entry.
🔔
Instant alerts on exceedances Get notified the moment a result exceeds your configured threshold — before the field crew has left the site.
Request access →
app.segura-water.com/dashboard
Thames Valley — Week 14
● Live
47
Tests this week
1.8 μg/L
Mean Pb (avg)
2
Flags raised
Pb μg/L — last 10 samples
Site 12 — Abingdon Rd
1.2 μg/L ✓
Site 07 — Cowley Rd
8.4 μg/L ⚠
Site 23 — Botley Rd
0.9 μg/L ✓
01
Accuracy above all
Independently validated. We don't claim accuracy we can't prove.
02
Built for the operator
If it needs a chemistry PhD to run, we've failed. Field workers come first.
03
Honest about limits
We'll always tell you if Segura isn't the right fit for your application.
Sources & References
McFarland et al. (2022) — Population-wide lead exposure in US children, PNAS 119(11).
UK Health Security Agency (2023) — Lead Exposure in Children Surveillance System (LEICSS).
NRDC — Millions Served by Water Systems Detecting Lead.
WHO Fact Sheet — Lead Poisoning and Health.
US EPA — Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI).
EU Directive 2020/2184 — Revised Drinking Water Directive.
UK DWI — Lead in Drinking Water Guidance.
RSC Analyst (2019) — Tutorial review: Anodic Stripping Voltammetry for trace metal analysis.
Pilot Programme

Pilot with us
in 2026.

We're selecting a small number of named pilot partners across utilities, NGOs, consultancies, and construction. Paid pilots — both sides commit, both sides get something real out of it.

1

Initial call

We walk through the platform, discuss your use case, and work out whether Segura is the right fit for your sites and sampling programme.

→
2

Pilot partnership

You commit a named technical lead, a defined sampling plan, and the pilot fee. We ship hardware, train your team, support the deployment, and review results together.

→
3

Scale-up

If the pilot validates your use case, we move to scale-up pricing, priority access to the commercial platform, and an optional co-branded case study.

Pilot partnership from
$5,000
Includes device, training, test strips, dedicated support through the pilot, and a joint data review at the end (+VAT + shipping)
Apply to the Pilot Programme ↗
📄 Request Spec Sheet 📊 Request Validation Data Find us on LinkedIn
Core Technology

The analytical gap
Segura closes

Detecting heavy metals at parts-per-billion concentrations in complex water matrices is analytically hard. ICP-MS requires laboratory infrastructure, trained analysts, and weeks of turnaround. Colorimetric field tests are fast but unreliable below 10 ppb. Neither method provides real-time, on-site data at the point of risk. Segura was built to close that gap.

Lab-equivalent accuracy
No calibration required
Results in <5 minutes
Independently benchmarked
Hand holding the Segura reader connected to a smartphone showing the app
Validation

The proof, up front.

Independently validated across 200+ real-world water samples — collected from live distribution networks by utility operators themselves and benchmarked against ICP-MS. Mean deviation is less than 8% across the full detection range, from low ppb to ppm. Named institutional partners across the UK, US, and Central America. See the full data ↓

200+
Real network samples vs ICP-MS
±8%
Mean deviation
2 ppb
Field-validated LOQ for lead
4
Named institutional partners
How ASV works
1

Deposition

A controlled voltage is applied to the electrode. Heavy metal ions in the water are attracted and deposited onto the electrode surface over 2–3 minutes.

2

Stripping

The voltage is reversed and ramped. Each metal ion releases from the electrode at a precisely characteristic potential, generating a distinct current peak.

3

Identification & Quantification

The position of each peak identifies the metal. The area under the peak gives its concentration — precise to sub-ppb levels.

Lead (Pb) detected 2.4 μg/L
Processed ASV scan — Pb & Cu co-detection For illustration only
⚠ Pb exceeds 5 μg/L limit
Pb ⚠ 8.4 μg/L Cu 0.8 μg/L −800 −600 −400 −200 0 Applied potential (mV vs. Ag/AgCl) 0 2 4 Current (μA)

Pb ⚠

8.4 μg/L detected

Exceeds EU DWD limit (5 μg/L)

Cu

0.8 μg/L detected

Within limits

Cd, Zn also co-detectable in extended panel scan

The science behind the strip

Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV) is an electroanalytical technique that has been used in trace metal research since the 1970s — often described as the poor man's mass spectrometry. Under laboratory conditions it is capable of detecting metal ions at concentrations as low as parts per trillion, using equipment that fits in a pocket.

Historically, ASV's sensitivity depended on mercury-based electrodes — hanging mercury drop or mercury film — which made the technique a non-starter outside controlled laboratory environments because of mercury's toxicity, handling requirements, and waste disposal constraints. Segura's chemistry is entirely mercury-free and non-toxic, engineered specifically so the same analytical performance can be delivered in a disposable, field-safe format.

The measurement happens in two steps. During the deposition phase, a controlled negative potential is applied to the electrode surface, electrochemically plating dissolved metal ions directly onto the electrode. This pre-concentration step is what gives ASV its sensitivity advantage: metals accumulate over 2–3 minutes, effectively concentrating the signal before measurement begins.

During the stripping phase, the potential is swept positive. Each accumulated metal oxidises and releases from the surface at a characteristic potential — its electrochemical fingerprint. The resulting current peak height is proportional to concentration. Because lead, copper, cadmium, and zinc strip at distinct, well-separated potentials, all four can be co-detected in a single measurement without any separation chemistry.

Segura's proprietary reader interprets that signal on-device in real time — no cloud processing required for a result.

Method comparison

Why ASV — and why now

Three analytical approaches exist for heavy metals detection in the field. The differences in sensitivity, multi-metal capability, and matrix tolerance are not incremental — they determine whether a technology is fit for regulatory-grade monitoring.

Colorimetric
Strip tests, Palintest-style		 Chronoamperometry
Electrochemical, single-analyte		 ASV — Segura
Proprietary multi-metal platform
LOQ — lead ~5–10 ppb ~2–4 ppb ✓ 2 ppb validated · 0.1 ppb target (Q2 2026)
Upper quantification range Low, saturates in dirty water Narrow ✓ Up to 2 ppm · higher with standard sample dilution
Multi-metal panel No Single analyte per test ✓ Yes — simultaneous Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn in one run
Pre-concentration step No No ✓ Yes — electrochemical pre-concentration drives sensitivity
Affected by turbidity or colour Yes — results unreliable in turbid or coloured samples No ✓ No — electrochemical, not optical
Matrix interference suppression None Limited ✓ Proprietary sample preparation step normalises matrix
Result time 2–5 min 1–3 min 3–5 min
Consumable cost Low Medium Low
Regulatory-grade sensitivity (EU DWD 5 μg/L Pb) No — LOD too high Marginal ✓ Yes — validated at sub-regulatory concentrations
Specifications

Built for the real world

Designed for reliability in the field — not just performance in the lab.

⚡
Field LOQ (lead)
2–4 ppb
Field-validated limit of quantification. EU DWD limit for lead is 5 ppb (5 μg/L) — Segura quantifies reliably well below the regulatory threshold.
⏱
Time to Result
<5 min
Full electrochemical cycle including deposition, stripping, and analysis. No pre-treatment or reagent preparation required.
🎯
Accuracy
±8%
Mean deviation from ICP-MS reference measurements, validated at independent laboratories. Within the ±15% tolerance the US EPA accepts for approved methods across the quantification range. Current target: less than 5% at the LOD.
📦
Form Factor
Handheld
Device weighs under 400g. Powered directly from the host phone via USB-C — no internal battery to charge or swap. Disposable sensor strips mean no cross-contamination between samples.
💧
Sample Volume
<1 mL
Less than 1 mL is drawn for the measurement itself. Field collection uses standard vials — the sample collected on site can be larger, with only a small aliquot drawn for analysis. No special containers or preservatives required.
📡
Connectivity
BLE + Cloud
Pairs with iOS/Android app via Bluetooth. Results auto-upload with GPS coordinates and timestamp to the Segura cloud dashboard.
The sensor

Proprietary screen-printed electrode

Manufacturing

Proven manufacturing. Optimised for heavy metals.

Segura reader alongside a single sensor strip and a full roll of barcoded strips

Segura's proprietary test strips use established screen-printing manufacturing processes — adapted and optimised specifically for heavy metals detection in water. The electrode chemistry is mercury-free and non-toxic, replacing the mercury-based electrodes that constrained classical ASV to the lab and unlocking safe, disposable field deployment.

Segura has optimised the sensor design specifically for simultaneous heavy metals detection across diverse drinking water matrices, achieving signal-to-noise ratios sufficient for sub-ppb detection in real field samples.

Test strips are batch-calibrated during manufacturing — the same principle used in consumer blood-glucose test strips. Every strip in a production batch shares the same calibration, characterised against reference materials before the batch ships. Operators never need to prepare daily standards or run calibration curves in the field. Manufactured under ISO 13485-certified processes to ensure batch-to-batch consistency at scale.

Next-generation sensor formats are in development, targeting substantially improved sensitivity and expanded detection capability.
Matrix normalisation

Consistent results across any water source

Sample preparation

Why matrix matters — and how Segura handles it.

Real-world water samples contain a complex mixture of organic matter, particulates, carbonate and phosphate species, and other dissolved metals that can interfere with electrochemical measurements. Without controlled sample preparation, metal speciation, background current, and calibration validity all shift between sample types — producing results that are unreliable across different water sources.

Segura's proprietary measurement protocol incorporates a defined sample preparation step that normalises the measurement environment. This ensures that background interferences are suppressed, regardless of whether the sample is municipal tap water, groundwater, process water, or surface water.

This matrix normalisation step is what allows Segura's calibration to remain valid across different water matrices without recalibration for each new source — a critical requirement for any field-deployable analytical device used across multiple sites.

Signal processing

On-device. Real-time. No cloud required.

Data pipeline

From raw voltammetric signal to concentration in seconds.

Raw voltammetric signal
After Segura on-device processing

Raw voltammetric data from a stripping experiment contains signal from multiple sources: the Faradaic current from metal stripping, capacitive background current from the electrode double layer, and electronic noise. Separating the analytical signal from these background contributions is where much of the precision is won or lost.

Segura's proprietary on-device processing pipeline isolates the analytical signal from background noise, producing clean peaks whose position identifies the metal and whose height is proportional to concentration. Quantification is performed on-device in real time — no cloud processing is required for a result, ensuring full functionality in areas with limited or no connectivity.

Results are then GPS-tagged, timestamped, and queued for automatic sync to the Segura cloud dashboard when connectivity is available — building a complete, auditable compliance record with no manual data entry.

Detection Capability

Proprietary detection panel

Segura's proprietary electrochemical platform uses Anodic Stripping Voltammetry to quantify heavy metals directly in water samples. Detection capability is tiered by current readiness — reflecting where the science is today and where the roadmap leads.

● Available now

Core plumbing panel — co-detected in a single 3–5 minute run

Lead, copper, cadmium, and zinc are electrochemically well-separated, allowing all four to be co-deposited and resolved in a single measurement cycle — four metals, one proprietary strip, one measurement.

Pb
Lead
EU DWD: 5 μg/L  ·  US action level: 15 μg/L
Validated alongside copper in the NYC Bureau of Water Supply pilot and in the first field demonstration at Wadham College, University of Oxford. Current field-validated LOQ: 2 ppb. Target: 0.1 ppb by end of Q2 2026.
Validated ✓
Cu
Copper
EU DWD: 2,000 μg/L
Co-detected with lead in a single run. Strong electrochemical signal enables reliable low-ppb quantification.
Validated ✓
Cd
Cadmium
EU DWD: 5 μg/L
Clean electrochemical separation from lead and zinc. Common impurity in galvanised plumbing. Low-ppb quantification alongside the core panel.
Validated
Zn
Zinc
Primary galvanised pipework indicator
Primary marker for galvanised pipe degradation and a key indicator in industrial process water. Low-ppb detection capability.
Validated
◐ Available on request

Extended panel metals — available to pilot partners on request

These metals are electrochemically detectable and can be supported for pilot partners through dedicated measurement protocols. They run separately from the core plumbing panel. Manganese is currently the focus of active development.

Mn
Manganese
EU DWD 50 μg/L. Active development focus. Preliminary signal confirmed at low ppb. Protocol optimisation in progress. Target: standalone water quality module.
As
Arsenic
WHO guideline 10 μg/L. Available on request through a dedicated sensor variant — significant global health and regulatory relevance, particularly for groundwater monitoring.
Tl
Thallium
EU DWD 1 μg/L. Characterised in electrochemical literature; available on request with a dedicated protocol.
Sn
Tin
Relevant for food-grade packaging and solder contamination monitoring. Available on request through a dedicated protocol.
Sb
Antimony
EU DWD 5 μg/L. Present in solder formulations. Available on request through a dedicated protocol.
In
Indium
Industrially relevant for semiconductor manufacturing effluent monitoring. Available on request.
○ Roadmap

Extended panel — in pipeline

Additional analytes planned for future sensor variants. These represent the next generation of Segura's detection capability.

Ni
Nickel — Modified sensor variant
EU DWD 20 μg/L. In pipeline. Relevant for stainless steel infrastructure and process water monitoring.
Hg
Mercury — Advanced sensor variant
EU DWD 1 μg/L. In pipeline. Mercury handling and waste disposal considerations apply to field deployment.
Se
Selenium — Protocol development
EU DWD 10 μg/L. In pipeline — dedicated protocol in development.

Outside platform scope: Radionuclides and certain complex transition metals require alternative analytical methods.

Validated in the field. Named partners. Real data.

Segura's analytical performance has been confirmed across multiple independent programmes — in laboratories, in the field, and against named reference methods. Key validated programmes include:

NYC Bureau of Water Supply — Initial pilot deployment demonstrated sample-to-result turnaround of under 5 minutes (versus weeks for lab testing). Early signs of multi-metal detection capability in distribution network samples; the programme concluded with a smaller sample count than planned and is being built on in our current partner cohort.

Independent ICP-MS benchmarking — Segura's accuracy has been benchmarked against ICP-MS across 200+ real-world samples collected from live distribution networks by utility operators themselves. Samples span municipal, borehole, and surface water matrices. Mean deviation is less than 8% across the full detection range, from low ppb to ppm concentrations. Lab-side reference measurements were carried out in collaboration with Dr. Saskia Nowicki at the University of Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment — a water-quality researcher whose prior work spans the World Health Organization, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and SRK Consulting. Dr. Nowicki also advises Segura and is a shareholder in the company — disclosed here for full transparency.

Wadham College, University of Oxford — First real field demonstration, carried out with interested Wadham College staff. This early deployment confirmed that the device and workflow behaved as designed outside the development bench.

USAID-supported programme, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala — Real-world heavy metals surveillance in a developing-world context with no fixed lab infrastructure.

Detection range: Segura's current field-validated limit of quantification (LOQ) for lead is 2 ppb, demonstrated in real distribution network samples against ICP-MS — well below the EU DWD threshold of 5 ppb and the US EPA action level of 15 μg/L. Active development work is on target to reduce this to 0.1 ppb by end of Q2 2026, with a mean-deviation target of less than 5% at the LOD. At the upper end, the platform quantifies reliably up to 2 ppm in a single measurement — higher concentrations remain accessible via standard sample dilution. Because the measurement is electrochemical rather than optical, turbidity and sample colour do not affect results.
Request a validation data pack →
200+
Real samples collected from live distribution networks by utility operators, benchmarked against ICP-MS
±8%
Mean deviation from ICP-MS reference method
2 ppb
Field-validated LOQ for lead. On target to reach 0.1 ppb by end of Q2 2026. Upper range: 2 ppm (higher with dilution).
4
Named institutional partners across UK, US, and Central America

See the technology in action

Request a live demonstration with your water samples — in the lab or in the field.

Request a Demo
Where Segura works

The right tool for
every water challenge

From municipal water utilities to humanitarian field operations — Segura is built for the people who need answers fast and can't wait days for a lab result.

Choose your sector

Pick the use case closest to your work

Each sector has its own deployment model, regulatory regime, and pain points. Jump straight to the one that fits.

🏛
Water Utilities
Systematic monitoring at scale — without the lab bill.
Read more →
🔩
Construction & Remediation
Real-time pass/fail decisions on site — not days later.
Read more →
🌍
NGOs & Global Development
Surveillance where lab infrastructure doesn't exist.
Read more →
⚙️
Industrial & Mining
Compliance monitoring that keeps pace with operations.
Read more →
Deployment workflow

From unboxing to results in one day

Any field technician. One day. Four steps. The same simple setup powers every application below.

01
Unbox & pair
Download the Segura app, pair via Bluetooth. Device is pre-calibrated. No configuration required.
02
Collect sample
Collect a small water sample in any standard vial — only a sub-millilitre aliquot is drawn for the measurement itself. No special containers, preservatives, or handling protocols needed.
03
Insert & read
Insert the disposable strip and place in sample. Result appears in the app within 5 minutes, with concentration in μg/L.
04
Data to cloud
Result auto-uploads with GPS, timestamp, and photo. Accessible via the Segura dashboard for your whole team in real time.
🏗️
Daily
Monitoring cadence
<5 min
Per sample result
~75%
Labour hours saved per cycle
Water Utilities

Systematic monitoring at scale — without the lab bill

Tightening regulations under the EPA Lead and Copper Rule and EU Drinking Water Directive demand more testing at more points — but centralised lab economics make that impossible at scale. Segura puts testing in the hands of existing field crews, no chemistry background required.

  • ✓
    Test distribution networks, service connections, and reservoirs daily without crippling budgets or specialist headcount
  • ✓
    Existing field staff operate the device — no chemist required on-site, cutting per-sample labour costs significantly
  • ✓
    GPS-tagged results automatically build a compliance audit trail in the cloud
  • ✓
    Trigger lab confirmation only when Segura flags an exceedance — reducing unnecessary send-outs
  • ✓
    Meets UK DWI and EU Drinking Water Directive reporting requirements
Request a Utilities Demo →
🔩
Instant
On-site pass/fail
Same day
Sampling & decision
Construction & Remediation

Real-time decisions — not decisions deferred to a lab report

Brownfield development and pipeline replacement projects live or die by the speed of environmental sign-off. When lab results take days or weeks, decisions stall, costs inflate, and schedules slip. Segura gives site crews a reliable answer while they're still on site — no specialist technician needed.

  • ✓
    Site crews run the test themselves — no need to wait for a specialist environmental technician
  • ✓
    Confirm lead pipe excavations are complete before backfilling
  • ✓
    Verify remediated soil leachate before declaring a site clean
  • ✓
    Keep decisions and sampling in the same moment — no days-long handoff to a lab
  • ✓
    Instantly document results with timestamp and coordinates for planning authority submissions
Book a Site Assessment →
🌍
800M
People lack safe water
No lab
Required anywhere
NGOs & Global Development

Safe water surveillance where lab infrastructure doesn't exist

The WHO estimates lead exposure accounts for over 900,000 deaths annually — yet lab infrastructure is absent across much of the developing world. UNICEF and the World Bank have identified affordable field-portable testing as critical. Segura changes that equation: community health workers can be fully operational after a half-day training session.

  • ✓
    Community health workers operate independently — no chemist or water engineer required
  • ✓
    Solar or battery-powered — no mains electricity required
  • ✓
    Works offline; data syncs when connectivity is available
  • ✓
    Up and running after a half-day training session, with no prior technical background
  • ✓
    Builds longitudinal contamination datasets for policy advocacy
  • ✓
    Disposable strips require no maintenance or recalibration
Explore Partnership →
⚙️
Real-time
Discharge monitoring
4 metals
Single test panel
Industrial & Mining

Compliance monitoring that keeps pace with your operations

Strict discharge limits under the UK Water Industry Act and EPA NPDES permits mean a single breach can trigger enforcement action and production shutdowns. Segura lets your EHS team take ownership of monitoring — increasing frequency and cutting contractor dependency.

  • ✓
    In-house EHS staff run tests without specialist training — reduce reliance on contracted sampling teams
  • ✓
    Test effluent streams at the discharge point before they enter watercourses
  • ✓
    Catch spikes during process upsets — before regulators do
  • ✓
    Screen lead, copper, cadmium, and zinc simultaneously in one test cycle
  • ✓
    Demonstrate proactive environmental stewardship to regulators and stakeholders
Request Industrial Pricing →
Pilot status

Where Segura is being piloted today

An honest view of where we have active pilots today and where we're selecting partners next. We don't claim sectors we haven't served.

◐ Active Pilots
Water Utilities
NGOs & Global Development
Construction & Remediation
Environmental Consultancies
○ Target Markets — pilot partners wanted
Industrial & Mining
Government & Regulators

Not sure if Segura fits your use case?

Tell us about your testing challenge — we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right solution.

Start a conversation
Our Story

Built in Oxford.
Built for the world's water.

Segura was founded on a simple conviction: the tools to keep water safe shouldn't be locked inside laboratory buildings. We're making precision water testing accessible to anyone who needs it — anywhere in the world, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Our Mission

Water safety intelligence — everywhere it's needed

Heavy metal contamination in drinking water is a solvable problem. We have the science. We have the chemistry. What's been missing is a tool that works outside the laboratory. The WHO and The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health have both identified heavy metal exposure as one of the most preventable environmental health crises of the 21st century.

Today, a water utility in a mid-sized UK city might send 200 samples a year to a lab and wait days for results. A community in Zambia may never test their borehole water at all. Both situations are unacceptable — and both are solvable with the right technology.

Segura exists to close that gap: making the gold standard of heavy metal detection portable, affordable, and operable by anyone.

"Lead poisoning causes irreversible cognitive damage in children. There is no treatment once exposure has occurred. Prevention requires knowing — and the world doesn't know fast enough." — Based on WHO findings on lead exposure
800M
People lack access to safe drinking water
200K
UK children with elevated blood lead levels
What we believe

Three principles that guide everything

01

Accuracy above all

We will never ship a product that doesn't meet a clear, independently validated accuracy standard. Overconfident claims in water testing cause real harm — regulators act on data, communities trust results. We take that seriously.

02

Designed for the operator, not the scientist

If it requires a chemistry PhD to operate, we've failed. Every design decision is made with the field worker, the utility engineer, and the NGO health worker in mind — not the laboratory researcher who already has ICP-MS.

03

Honest about limitations

No technology does everything. We are transparent about where Segura performs well and where it doesn't. We will always tell a prospective customer if our product isn't the right fit for their application.

Jose Castro
Jose Castro — Founder & CEO
University of Oxford Mott MacDonald American Chemical Society
Connect on LinkedIn
The Founder

A scientist who got tired of the lab being the bottleneck

Segura was founded by an Oxford-trained scientist whose interest in Anodic Stripping Voltammetry — a decades-old electrochemical technique — began while at the University of Oxford, long before Segura existed as a company. Before turning to the water sector, he spent time in the glucose-monitoring industry — working on disposable electrochemical sensors at Masimo Labs — which gave him a first-hand grounding in medical-grade manufacturing, disposable sensor design, and the engineering realities of shipping a product that real people rely on. All of Segura's chemistry, sensor design, and signal processing is foreground intellectual property, developed independently within the company.

What struck our founder wasn't the science itself — that was mature. It was the gap between what was technically possible and what was deployed in the real world. The instruments existed in research labs. The knowledge existed. But a water engineer in Oxfordshire couldn't use them, and a health worker in sub-Saharan Africa certainly couldn't. The disposable glucose strip — a miracle of cheap, reliable, everyday electrochemistry — was the missing analogy: heavy metals should work the same way.

Segura is the bridge: taking an idea from the academic electrochemistry literature and engineering it — as new, proprietary IP — into a platform that a field worker can use on a Monday morning with no PhD required.

The first working prototype was built in 2023 and has been iterating towards commercial scale ever since, with initial pilot work carried out alongside water utility partners in Oxfordshire and early field demonstrations run from Wadham College, University of Oxford, supported by Dr. Saskia Nowicki — a water-quality researcher at the University of Oxford, Segura advisor, and shareholder in the company.

Company Timeline

From lab bench to field-ready

2021
The idea
The core idea for a field-portable heavy metal testing platform takes shape — inspired by decades of published work on Anodic Stripping Voltammetry and the long-standing gap between lab-grade electrochemical methods and field deployability.
2023
Prototype, first pilots & initial funding
First working prototype validated against bench ICP-MS — accuracy confirmed at ±12%. First real-world pilot with an Oxfordshire water utility and first field demonstration at Wadham College, University of Oxford. Initial funding received from Founders Factory and Planet Fund. Sensor strip v2 reduces time-to-result from 12 min to under 5 min.
2024
Independent validation & international pilots
Independent validation across 200+ real-world samples — collected from live distribution networks by utility operators themselves and benchmarked against ICP-MS — confirms less than 8% mean deviation across the full detection range, from low ppb to ppm. Featured in BBC coverage.
2025–26
Pilot programme — now
Active pilot programme across UK water utilities, NGOs, and environmental consultancies. Selecting next-wave pilot partners and building towards first OEM partnership for device manufacturing at scale.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does a Segura pilot involve?

A Segura pilot is a paid, fixed-scope partnership — typically three months, a named technical lead on your side, and a defined sampling plan at your sites. We provide the hardware, training, ongoing technical support, and a joint data review at the end. You commit the pilot fee, the samples, and honest feedback.

Can I test my home water with this?

Segura is not currently available for sale to individuals. Our platform is designed for water utilities, environmental consultancies, and field teams. We aim to make it available for individual use in the future.

How accurate is Segura compared to laboratory ICP-MS?

Independent validation across 200+ real-world samples — collected from live distribution networks by utility operators themselves and benchmarked against ICP-MS — shows less than 8% mean deviation across the full detection range. The US EPA accepts ±15% variation for approved methods, so Segura sits comfortably inside that envelope across the range. Our current development target is less than 5% mean deviation at the limit of detection.

What is Segura's limit of detection for lead?

Our current field-validated limit of quantification (LOQ) is 2 ppb for lead, demonstrated in real distribution network samples against ICP-MS — well below the EU DWD regulatory threshold of 5 ppb. Active development work is on target to reduce this to 0.1 ppb by end of Q2 2026. At the upper end, the platform quantifies reliably up to 2 ppm in a single measurement; higher concentrations remain accessible via standard sample dilution. Unlike colorimetric strip tests, turbidity and sample colour do not affect results because the measurement is electrochemical rather than optical.

Does the device require calibration?

No field calibration. Segura test strips are batch-calibrated during manufacturing — the same principle used in consumer blood-glucose test strips. Every strip in a production batch is characterised against reference materials before it ships, so the operator never needs to prepare daily standards, run calibration curves, or handle toxic reagents in the field.

What metals can Segura detect?

The core panel detects lead (Pb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn) simultaneously in a single measurement. Additional analytes including arsenic, nickel, mercury, and selenium are in the pipeline.

How long does a test take?

Under five minutes from sample to result, including sample preparation. Results are GPS-tagged and automatically synced to the cloud dashboard.

Do operators need specialist training?

No. The device is designed so that any field technician can operate it with minimal training — no chemistry background required. Most operators are fully trained within a single session.

Does it work without internet connectivity?

Yes. All analysis is performed on-device in real time. Results are stored locally and sync to the cloud dashboard when connectivity is restored.

What water types can be tested?

Segura works with municipal tap water, groundwater, surface water, and process water. The measurement protocol incorporates a sample preparation step that normalises background interferences across different water matrices.

Where is Segura based?

Segura is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, with roots in the University of Oxford's Geography Department. The company was founded in 2023.

What regulatory standards does the platform support?

The dashboard supports reporting formats for UK DWI, US EPA (Lead and Copper Rule), and EU Drinking Water Directive requirements. Export-ready compliance reports are generated with one click.

Is Segura an approved method for regulatory reporting?

EPA certification and MCERTS accreditation are both in progress. Segura is currently suitable as a screening tool — flagging exceedances for lab confirmation. Many utilities use it to prioritise which samples to send for formal ICP-MS analysis, dramatically reducing unnecessary lab submissions.

How much does it cost per test?

Pricing depends on testing volume. Please get in touch for a quote tailored to your deployment.

Interested in working with us?

Whether you're a water utility, an investor, a researcher, or a journalist — we're always open to the right conversations. We're a small team and we respond personally to every message.

Request a Demo Email us directly
Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to Segura. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal data when you visit our website, www.segura-water.com, in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly.

2. Data We Collect

We collect and process the following types of personal data:

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, and phone number only if manually entered into provided contact forms and not otherwise.
  • Usage Data: Anonymised information on how you interact with our website, such as pages visited, clicks, and browsing duration — collected via our hosting provider (Cloudflare Pages).
  • Device Information: IP address, browser type, and other technical data from your device.

3. How We Use Your Data

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To provide and improve our services: Enhance the user experience and optimise our website functionality.
  • To communicate with you: Respond to inquiries, provide support, and send updates or marketing information (with your consent).
  • To analyse website performance: Track usage data and analyse trends to improve the quality of our website.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We rely on the following legal bases to process your personal data:

  • Consent: For marketing and certain analytics purposes, we obtain your explicit consent.
  • Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for the operation and improvement of our website and services.

5. Data Sharing and Transfers

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share your data with:

  • Service Providers: Third-party vendors that assist in website hosting, analytics, or communication.
  • Legal Obligations: When required to comply with laws or regulations.

If we transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA), we ensure that adequate safeguards are in place.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes outlined above or as required by law. Usage data may be anonymised and retained for a longer period for analysis purposes.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have the right to:

  • Access your data and request a copy.
  • Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erase your data, under certain conditions.
  • Restrict processing of your data.
  • Data Portability: Transfer your data to another service.
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Withdraw Consent at any time, where consent was given.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at operations@segura-water.com.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience and collect usage data. You can adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies, but this may impact certain website functionalities.

9. Data Security

We implement technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Segura Water Ltd
3rd Floor, 86–90 Paul Street
London EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom
operations@segura-water.com
+44 (0)7878 167745

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and we will notify you if significant changes are made.

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Legal

Terms of Use

Last updated: April 2026

1. Introduction

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Segura Water Ltd website at www.segura-water.com (the "Site"). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

2. About Us

The Site is operated by Segura Water Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, with its registered office at 3rd Floor, 86–90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom. References to "we", "us", and "our" refer to Segura Water Ltd.

3. Use of the Site

The Site is provided for general information about Segura Water Ltd, our products, and our services. You may use the Site for lawful purposes only. You agree not to:

  • Use the Site in any way that breaches any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Site, the server on which it is hosted, or any related system or database.
  • Use any automated system (including bots, scrapers, or crawlers) to access the Site in a manner that imposes an unreasonable load on our infrastructure, except for publicly documented search-engine indexing.
  • Introduce viruses, trojans, worms, or any other material that is malicious or technologically harmful.
  • Reproduce, duplicate, copy, or resell any part of the Site in contravention of these Terms.

4. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site — including text, graphics, logos, images, product renders, voltammetric charts, and the compilation thereof — is the property of Segura Water Ltd or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may view, download, and print content from the Site for your personal, non-commercial use. Any other use requires our prior written permission.

"Segura", the Segura logo, and related product names are trademarks of Segura Water Ltd. You may not use them without our written consent.

5. Product Information and Claims

Information on the Site about Segura's products, validation data, detection capabilities, and performance specifications is provided for general information purposes. While we take care to ensure accuracy, technical specifications and regulatory status may evolve. Segura's products are intended for use by trained water-testing professionals, utilities, and authorised partners — they are not currently sold for individual consumer use.

Segura's platform is a screening tool designed to support, not replace, laboratory confirmation where regulatory certification is required. Always consult the current product documentation and your applicable local regulatory guidance before relying on any result for compliance decisions.

6. External Links

The Site contains links to third-party websites (including academic papers, regulatory bodies, news coverage, and partner organisations). These links are provided for convenience and information only. We have no control over the content of those sites and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage arising from your use of them.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site and its content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the Site or the information contained on it. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.

8. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury arising from our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under English law.

Subject to the above, we will not be liable to you for any loss or damage — whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise — arising under or in connection with use of, or inability to use, the Site, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.

9. Privacy

Your use of the Site is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect and handle your personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

10. Changes to the Site and These Terms

We may update the Site and these Terms from time to time. We will post any updated version on this page. By continuing to use the Site after changes are posted, you accept the revised Terms.

11. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or the Site, are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. You agree that the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any such dispute or claim.

12. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us:

Segura Water Ltd
3rd Floor, 86–90 Paul Street
London EC2A 4NE, United Kingdom
operations@segura-water.com
+44 (0)7878 167745

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