WILMINGTON, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enthalpy Analytical (“Enthalpy”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Montrose Environmental Group, Inc., is proud to announce that it has received the Department of Defense Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (“DoD ELAP”) certification at its Wilmington, NC, ultra-trace laboratory. This accreditation allows the lab to analyze samples containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and dioxins/furans, for Federal agencies and municipal and industrial clients requiring this certification.
Enthalpy received this qualification through the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the largest multi-disciplinary accreditation body in North America. The process to obtain the DoD ELAP certification is long and rigorous and requires a significant commitment and investment in quality systems, employee training, and analytical method development.
“We’re proud of our DoD accreditation and view this as validation of the significant strides we’ve made toward building a world-class laboratory focusing on the ultra-trace analysis of environmental contaminants,” said Dr. Bryan Vining, Laboratory Director at Enthalpy.
In May 2019, the DoD released version 5.3 of the Quality Systems Manual (“QSM”) that included updates to laboratory requirements for PFAS analysis. Enthalpy will now be compliant with QSM version 5.3 by holding the DoD ELAP accreditation. “We believe the accreditation combined with the stringent requirements of the QSM manual provides our clients additional assurance that our results are accurate and defensible, as well as providing confidence to make critical compliance, engineering, and health-risk decisions,” said Vining.
PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. They have been used in a variety of product applications ranging from cookware, food packaging, and personal care products to industrial uses such as semiconductor coatings, firefighting aqueous film-forming foam, metal plating, and more. PFAS have been a growing public health concern, according to the CDC, because they do not break down in the environment, can move through soils and contaminate drinking water sources, and they build up (bioaccumulate) in fish and wildlife. According to the CDC, scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans, including adversely affecting growth, learning and behavior in infants and children; lowering a woman’s chance of getting pregnant; interfering with the body’s natural hormones; increasing cholesterol levels; affecting the immune system; and increasing the risk for some cancers. For more information on health risks related to PFAS, please visit www.epa.gov/pfas.
“Given the increasing interest in PFAS and demand for PFAS analysis, we view this accreditation as especially important and timely,” said Steven Eckard, P.E., Enthalpy’s Executive Vice President of laboratory services. “We look forward to being able to help meet the growing need for PFAS analysis from across our entire customer base, including small municipalities, foreign and domestic military installations, landfills, remediation contractors and more.”
About DoD ELAP
The Department of Defense established the DoD Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) in October 2009 to provide a unified DoD program through which laboratories can demonstrate competency and document conformance to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories as implemented by the DoD Quality Systems Manual for Environmental Laboratories (DoD QSM). Using third party Accreditation Bodies operating in accordance with the international standard ISO/IEC 17011, Conformity Assessment – General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies, the DoD ELAP was established to: Promote interoperability among the DoD Components; Promote fair and open competition among commercial laboratories; Streamline the process for identifying and procuring competent providers of environmental laboratory services, and; Promote the collection of data of known and documented quality.
About Enthalpy Analytical, LLC
Enthalpy Analytical, LLC (“Enthalpy”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Montrose Environmental Group, Inc., (“Montrose”) providing environmental laboratory services as part of Montrose’s Measurement and Analytical Services division. Enthalpy operates ten accredited laboratories across the United States., Within the network Enthalpy has laboratories that specialize in analysis of air, soil, water, and sediment. For more information, visit Enthalpy Analytical at www.enthalpy.com.