Plain-language terms for the kit

What this is

A $50 at-home kit for visualizing microplastic particles in a urine sample using Nile Red fluorescence imaging. Sold as part of an ongoing independent citizen science pilot capped at 1,000 units.

What you're acknowledging

By purchasing a kit, you acknowledge that:

• This is a citizen science study, not a medical test or diagnostic tool.
• Results will not be used to diagnose, screen, or monitor any health condition.
• You will not make any health or medical decisions based on what you see in your sample.
• Individual results are part of an ongoing study and should not be interpreted as a clinical or diagnostic finding.
• You are 18 or older.

What we collect

Your name and shipping address (for kit fulfillment), your email (for order communication and study updates), payment information (handled directly by Stripe — we never see your card), the photograph of your filter that you upload, and the particle count derived from that image.

What we do with it

• Ship the kit and follow up about your sample.
• Aggregate, anonymized analysis as part of the study.
• Cross-validation: a subset of samples is sent to an accredited lab for FTIR/Raman comparison against the at-home imaging result.

We don't sell your data. We don't share it with third parties beyond the shipping/payment/email infrastructure required to run the kit.

Shipping

U.S. shipping only. We don't ship internationally during this pilot. Free shipping inside the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and APO/FPO addresses. Most kits ship within 7 days of order.

Refunds and returns

Unopened kits can be returned within 30 days for a full refund. Opened kits are non-returnable for safety reasons (biological samples). If your kit arrives damaged or doesn't work, email us and we'll replace it.

Dispute resolution

Any dispute arising out of or relating to your purchase or use of the kit will be resolved by individual binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial rules of a recognized arbitration body. You waive any right to participate in a class action. The governing law of these terms is the law of the state of California, United States.

Your right to delete

You can ask us to delete your record at any time by emailing hello@thewatertest.com. If you're in the EU, UK, or California, the same applies — this is your data and you can ask us to remove it. Note: anonymized aggregate study data already published may not be individually retractable.

Who's on the other end

The Water Test — an independent research project run by Andrew Pierno out of Los Angeles, California. Not affiliated with any university, hospital, or government agency.