Battelle Laboratory is Country’s First to Obtain Additional PFAS Accreditation

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Jan. 16, 2019)—Battelle has the first laboratory in the United States to receive National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program accreditation for testing of a specific suite of important chemicals.

Last November, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its drinking water Method 537.1 for detecting this class of chemicals in drinking water by expanding the analyte list. The chemicals, known as PFAS—Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances–for decades have been commonly used in firefighting foams as well as water-repellent materials, non-stick cookware and takeout containers, among many other products. Due to their possible impacts on human health, they are now emerging as an environmental contaminant of concern, particularly on and around military bases, landfills, and industrial sites.

The EPA 537.1 expansion added four PFAS analytes and Battelle’s lab in Norwell, Massachusetts is the first to receive accreditation for these additional compounds. They include GenX (hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid), ADONA (4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid), and two isomers of F-53B (11-chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid and 9-chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanone-1-sulfonic acid).

“This new accreditation expands our capabilities and establishes us as the leading PFAS testing lab in the country,” said Jonathan Thorn, the Battelle Norwell Laboratory Director. Battelle is also one of a limited number of laboratories than can test more challenging, non-traditional matrices for PFAS such as landfill leachate and animal tissue.

Battelle is at the forefront of site assessment and remediation for this class of chemicals that is rapidly growing in the nation’s awareness. Research is currently underway at Battelle that is urgently needed to better understand the fate and transport of PFAS compounds and how contaminated sites can best be remediated to minimize environmental and human health concerns.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle makes the world better by commercializing technology, giving back to our communities, and supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.