Environmental Test Equipment

What is the Importance of Environmental Testing?

The increased worldwide attention focused on environmental testing has heightened the demand for instrumentation, including sensitive analytical instruments to identify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Environmental testing is used to make regulatory decisions by conducting risk assessments and is ultimately used to protect public health.

What Are Key Considerations for Environmental Testing and Analysis?

Compliance with regulatory bodies such as EPA, ASTM, NIST, ISO, etc. is of paramount importance for environmental analysis laboratories. In the United States, most environmental analyses conducted for EPA compliance are expected to adhere to Good Laboratory Practices Standards. Standards such as this not only encompass instrumentation and methods but also data reporting, QA practices, and numerous other parameters to ensure data quality and integrity.

Many of the environmental analysis test guidelines come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and some key guidelines include:

• Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
• Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Plan 15)
• Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
• Regulations for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Be sure to consult your local state and federal agencies for the most up-to-date test guidelines governing your analysis.

What Instruments Are Commonly Used for Environmental Testing?

Environmental analysis is a diverse field requiring numerous instrument types including:

• Biofuel Analyzers
• Balances
• Stability Chambers
• pH Meters
• GC Instruments
• HPLC Instruments
• Elemental Analysis Instrumentation

Along with standard laboratory instrumentation, environmental analysis equipment is often available in handheld or portable configurations to allow for sampling or continual monitoring in the field.

What Are The Key Considerations for Purchasing Environmental Testing Equipment?

The type of instrumentation used will often be dictated by the type of testing to be conducted or the regulatory compliance requirements. Despite this, certain instruments can offer advantages over the competition. Time-saving features such as autosamplers or other automation hardware can increase throughput while requiring less hands-on time with samples. Always be sure to compare the key specifications of an instrument such as analytical range, accuracy, and repeatability to ensure a high level of data accuracy. Environmental testing is often conducted in the field, for those applications portability and durability are key considerations when purchasing environmental testing equipment.