A conversation with Dr. Scott Coffin, California State Water Resources Control Board Recently, the State of California announced its intention to require microplastics testing be done to protect its drinking water supplies. California often plays the Canary-in-a-Coal-Mine role on environmental issues – bringing critical questions to the forefront that impact all testing labs, not just …

Our endocrine glands send out chemical signals and hormones that direct almost all aspects of development, from formation of eggs and sperm onward. A significant part of hormone signaling is the turning on and off of genes, plus more physiological processes. This process is essential for all aspects of human life. An endocrine disruptor is …

Microplastics—those tiny bits of plastic less than 5 mm (<0.2 inches) in length—have become a very large problem. These minute structures are now known to be abundant in nearly every type of environment on Earth where they are affecting ecosystems and living organisms, including humans. A growing number of researchers worldwide are investigating microplastics pollution …

A conversation with Dr. Jose Isagani Janairo, Professor of Biochemistry, De La Salle University, Philippines. The term “microplastics” or “nanoplastics” is frequently in the news these days. These small plastic fragments – less than 5 mm in length, can have an oversized impact on the environment. They can be consumed by the very smallest organizations …

A chat with Professor Pennie Lindeque, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK. The term “microplastics” was first introduced in 2004 and refers to any type of plastic fragment that is less than 5 mm in length. That’s smaller than the number printed on the front of a credit card. There are two types of microplastics – primary …

According to the United Nations (UN), global water demand is expected to continue increasing; in part by the world’s growing population, but also because industrial and domestic sectors are raising their demands. In addition to increased demand from the current supply, the UN says there are over two billion people who live in countries experiencing …

In laboratories around the world, artificial intelligence (AI) is being paired with robotic and automated technologies to expand the scope of science by harnessing machine learning (ML) and hypothesis generation to improve experimental design and data analysis. The environmental testing industry has suffered recently a period of consolidation, intense price competition, and declining profitability-and labs …

Environmental testing labs are under enormous pressure to reduce the cost and turnaround time for analytical services-and to help, technologies such as cloud computing should be rapidly adopted. Advances in remote communications technologies have been successfully implemented to facilitate communication with and between personnel and customers, maintain instrument operations, and critical data flow and manage …

As environmental testing laboratories innovate and evolve, the regulations that govern sampling methods also adapt—new and stricter detection limits are established, and emerging contaminants are added to screening lists. These laboratories are constantly under enormous pressure to reduce the cost and turnaround time for analytical services—and any technologies that can help should be rapidly adopted. …

In 2019, 81.8 million tons of environmentally hazardous chemicals and 208 million tons of chemicals hazardous to human health were produced.1 To mitigate the effects of these contaminants and prevent health risks, governments continuously run risk assessments to keep regulations up to date. At the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry’s annual meeting for Europe …