NEXT MEETING: GARDEN GROVE, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 5-9 2024

EPA Programs for air, drinking water, hazardous wastes, and wastewater have each established varying monitoring requirements with different analyte lists, quality control requirements, and slight changes in test methods that use the same technology.  The NELAC Institute, states, and various customers such as the Department of Defense then establish their own requirements on top of those of EPA.  Many commercial laboratories perform testing for all EPA programs and for a variety of customers. The presentation will start with a brief overview of the state of the commercial environmental laboratory industry, current trends, and outlook for the future.  Some of the challenges faced by the industry will then be highlighted to show the breath and magnitude of the problems we face. The major focus of the presentation will how laboratory management can create and support a quality culture where all employees are committed to generating and delivering reliable data for sound decision making.