Simi Valley, Calif. — A low cost testing option is now available from Columbia Analytical for detecting elemental sulfur (S8) in bulk drywall. The testing focuses on orthorhombic cyclooctasulfur (elemental sulfur: S8), a unique marker compound found only in drywall which causes corrosion. The test costs approximately $100 per drywall sample, depending on your project.

Columbia Analytical’s proven method for elemental sulfur uses gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC/ECD) and allows for rapid turnaround of sample results. The GC/ECD analytical technique offers comparable sensitivity to the GC/MS method also offered by Columbia Analytical, but at a substantially lower cost.

The low cost GC/ECD analysis allows clients to screen a large volume of drywall samples quickly for S8. Because drywall used in home construction can be from mixed sources, submission of multiple samples from one suspect home may be done to reduce the risk of false negative results. In addition, confirmatory analysis of drywall for S8 by GC/MS is still available and may be performed on the same sample as the GC/ECD analysis.

Roughly 5g (approximately 2”x2”) of bulk drywall material is all that is required for this new GC/ECD analysis. Results are reported in units of mg/kg. A result higher than 10 mg/kg is typically indicative of corrosive drywall, making it easy to identify “bad drywall.”

Columbia Analytical’s Research & Development team began laboratory analysis on suspect drywall in spring 2008. They have since analyzed several hundred drywall samples from homeowners, home builders and developers, environmental consultants/industrial hygienists, government agencies and contractors, as well as, domestic and foreign drywall producers as part of their method development.

Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. is an employee-owned, full-service environmental analytical laboratory testing network established in 1986 and headquartered in Kelso, Washington. Their expertise encompasses air, water, dioxin, biological, pharmaceutical, solid and hazardous waste analyses.

For more information on the laboratory analysis of problem drywall, contact Alyson Fortune at 978.501.2735 or visit Columbia Analytical’s website at www.caslab.com.

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Learn more about Chinese drywall testing…

KELSO, Wash. – Columbia Analytical’s Kelso laboratory has met the requirements of the Department of Defense (DoD) Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) and has been awarded a certificate of accreditation.

Kelso’s assessment was completed by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board/ACLASS of Alexandria, Virginia. The full scope of accreditation, including the list of analytes to which this accreditation applies, may be found on Columbia Analytical’s Kelso certification webpage: http://www.caslab.com/Certifications/kelso.php.

DoD-ELAP standardizes the laboratory testing requirements, those performed in support of environmental restoration programs (i.e. cleanup), of the US Navy, US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE). The program aims to promote consistency among DoD Components, promote fair and open participation, facilitate the procurement of analytical services, and shift the expense of laboratory assessments from the DoD to the private sector.

Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. is an employee-owned, full-service environmental analytical laboratory testing network established in 1986 and headquartered in Kelso, Washington. Their expertise encompasses air, water, dioxin, biological, pharmaceutical, solid and hazardous waste analyses.

For more information contact Columbia Analytical at 360-577-7222 or visit their website at www.caslab.com.

View DoD ELAP Accreditation Status of all labs

Columbia Analytical’s Kelso laboratory is the first lab in the nation to have its assessment results submitted to the Department of Defense (DoD) Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP). Laboratories which seek to perform new testing projects for DoD environmental restoration programs need the DoD ELAP accreditation by October 1, 2009, according to a memorandum released by the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.

“Our laboratories are well-versed in DoD QSM requirements and have been providing testing services for the DoD for many years,” said Lee Wolf, Quality Assurance Director for Columbia Analytical. ”Since NELAP standards were already established as the baseline for our quality systems, implementation of the QSM and compliance with the new DoD ELAP will not pose any significant challenges to current systems.”

DoD ELAP is a long-awaited program which standardizes the laboratory testing requirements of the US Navy, US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE). The program elevates the standard for laboratory operations and quality systems implementation. The foundation for the DoD ELAP is the DoD Quality Systems Manual (QSM) Version 4.1, which is based on NELAP and ISO standards for testing laboratories.

According to the memorandum, laboratories that currently have DoD component (Army, Navy, or Air Force) approvals in place will be subject to DoD ELAP requirements when those approvals expire or when scope changes are necessary. Laboratories which seek to perform testing for DoD environmental restoration programs for the first time or who hold an expired DoD approval need to be accredited in accordance with the DoD ELAP before they can provide services.

Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. is an employee-owned, full-service environmental analytical laboratory testing network established in 1986 and headquartered in Kelso, Washington. Their expertise encompasses air, water, dioxin, biological, pharmaceutical, solid and hazardous waste analyses.

For questions on the implementation and requirements of the DoD QSM contact Columbia Analytical at 360-577-7222 or visit their website at www.caslab.com.

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View the current status of Columbia Analytical’s DoD ELAP Accreditation.

 
UPDATE: Columbia Analytical (Kelso) is now accredited for the DoD-ELAP program…

Jacksonville, Fla. – Columbia Analytical Services, Inc., a national environmental laboratory network announces the hiring of Andre Rachmaninoff to direct its Jacksonville laboratory.

Rachmaninoff joins Columbia Analytical with over 23 years of experience in laboratory management, holding positions such as Laboratory Director and Vice President. In his previous position with Pace Analytical Services (formerly ELAB), Rachmaninoff served as General Manager for two regional laboratories. Rachmaninoff has expertise in the EPA Safe Drinking Water program, microbiology, wet chemistry and metals analyses. He has worked within the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Clean Water Act (CWA) and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) programs. Rachmaninoff is a past president of the Florida Society of Environmental Analysts and an active member of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals.

“My initial goals as Lab Director will be the development of a NP (nitrogen-phosphorus) pesticide process, TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons) method and a number of analyses in sediment and bio-tissue,” said Rachmaninoff. “I want to help my staff realize their full potential by continuously challenging them, providing them with greater responsibility, and offering as much support as I can possibly give.”

Established in 1986, Columbia Analytical is an employee-owned, full service analytical laboratory network. Headquartered in Kelso, Washington, their network is composed of seven laboratories in Arizona, California, Florida, New York, Texas and Washington. Their expertise encompasses air, water, dioxin, biological, pharmaceutical, and solid and hazardous waste analyses.

For more information please contact Rachmaninoff at 904.394.4407 or view the company’s website at www.caslab.com.

SIMI VALLEY, California — Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. announces it has established a reliable test protocol for identifying odor and corrosion problems in drywall. The tests identify problems with drywall, generally reported as “Chinese drywall,” that initially affected many homes in the southeastern United States.

“Our team has developed three technically superior and legally-defensible analytical tests related to the drywall problem,” said Michael Tuday, Director of Research and Development at Columbia Analytical’s Simi Valley, California laboratory. “We have been studying the issue and testing both foreign and domestic drywall samples since February, 2008, and are excited to have found a testing solution to isolate this problem.”

The Simi Valley laboratory confirmed that hydrogen sulfide is one of the major contributing agents causing the corrosion. With its characteristic rotten egg smell, hydrogen sulfide is a likely contributor to reported odors in affected homes. Other researchers have also identified iron disulfide (pyrite) and strontium sulfide as possible corrosion culprits, as well.

Researchers at Columbia Analytical also determined the drywall in question contains a naturally occurring allotrope of elemental sulfur and have developed a novel means of quantifying orthorhombic cyclooctasulfur (S₈) in drywall via analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In tests to-date, this sulfur allotrope is a unique and reliable marker in drywall products causing corrosion problems and has only been found in drywall imported from China.

Columbia Analytical has developed an innovative chamber test procedure for the measurement of hydrogen sulfide at ultra-low levels in suspect drywall. To confirm corrosivity, a jar test is used to document copper corrosion in the presence of test drywall samples.

These laboratory tests may be used to confirm visual home inspections and to demonstrate that corrosion effects are due to drywall and not other items in the home, such as carpets, cleaners, paints, or personal care products.

Columbia Analytical is an employee-owned, full-service environmental analytical network with laboratories and service centers nationwide. The company’s expertise encompasses air, water, dioxin, biological, pharmaceutical, and solid and hazardous waste analyses.

For more information about drywall testing, contact Alyson Fortune at 978.501.2735 or visit Columbia Analytical’s website at www.caslab.com.

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Learn more about Chinese Drywall Testing…

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KELSO, Wash. - Columbia Analytical received the Excellence in Workforce Education business award from the Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce in Cowlitz County, Wash.

This award honors employers who have demonstrated achievement in providing high quality workforce education and training in Cowlitz County.

Award recipients were selected based upon the development and implementation of workforce programs that are innovative in nature; improve the preparation and performance of the emerging or incumbent workforce; have measurable outcomes; and demonstrate collaboration between business, government, and education.

Columbia Analytical attributes the success of its workforce education program to having many quality educational opportunities. The company requires employees to participate in 16-hours of company-paid continuing education per year, which can include in-house training, outside seminars, self-study, with up to 100% tuition reimbursement. In addition, Columbia Analytical provides 16-hours of initial Ethics training to all new employees and provides on-going quarterly ethics training to all employees.

Columbia Analytical employees in its Kelso, Wash. laboratory participated in over 4,000 hours of company-paid continuing education in 2008 for an average of 24 hours per employee.

Columbia Analytical has partnered with Lower Columbia College (LCC) in Longview, Wash. to provide on-site technical training, including technical writing and introduction to chemistry courses, for its employees. President of Columbia Analytical, Steve Vincent, currently serves as the LCC Foundation President. Approximately 15% of the Columbia Analytical’s Kelso employees are LCC graduates and over 30% of its employees have taken LCC courses.

Columbia Analytical also provides two to three LCC Fellowships per year for selected candidates. This fellowship provides a 100% paid scholarship for books, fees and tuition as well as a part-time job for selected candidates. The company nurtures science focused education for deserving scholars with the hope that they will become outstanding employees for Columbia Analytical.

For more information, please contact Alicia Shepard of Columbia Analytical Services, Inc.

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PHOENIX, Ariz. – Columbia Analytical Services, Inc., a national laboratory network including locations in Phoenix and Tucson, has promoted Todd Poyfair to direct their Arizona laboratories. Todd is replacing Beth Proffitt, who was recently promoted to Vice President, Corporate Business Development.

Poyfair has been an employee with Columbia Analytical for 18 years and most recently served as supervisor of the General Chemistry and Organic Extractions departments at their laboratory in Kelso, Washington.

“Todd is a great resource to move into our Arizona Operations,” said Steve Vincent, president of Columbia Analytical. “With his help we will put systems in place so that we can routinely provide higher level QC data validation packages.”

Columbia Analytical is an employee-owned, full-service environmental analytical network with laboratories and service centers nationwide. Their expertise encompasses air, water, dioxin, biological, pharmaceutical, and solid and hazardous waste analyses. Visit them on the web at www.caslab.com.

Recent news reports suggest that wallboard may be causing odor problems and potential safety concerns for some homeowners, initially reported from Florida.

Certain wallboard materials in the presence of heat and humidity may emit odors, cause corrosion of wiring in homes and lead to health concerns.

Preliminary reports stated that the suspect materials came from China; however, state and federal health officials are currently researching numerous sources as well as any potential health hazards. Columbia Analytical has been performing analyses to support these efforts.

Columbia Analytical is one of a very few laboratories in the United States that can test for a wide range of compounds in air. Their expertise includes the testing of air samples or samples of the wallboard material itself. Please contact the laboratory at 805-526-7161 for more information or to obtain a quote.

Learn more about odor testing…

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Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. recently teamed with Gravity Environmental, LLC (Snoqualmie, WA) on a lower Columbia River project that called for high volume sampling to obtain ultra trace detection limits for a number of target compounds. The sampling was done using equipment that was custom built, validated, and optimized by Gravity Environmental. The sample media was prepared for use in the field by Columbia Analytical and then analyzed for ultra-trace concentrations of Organochlorine Pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), and Dioxins/Furans.

Shawn Hinz, Scientist/Owner of Gravity Environmental discusses their sampling techniques with Jeff Christian, Lab Director of Columbia Analytical.

Columbia Analytical presented a technical paper entitled “Comparison of Naphthalene Ambient Air Sampling & Analysis Methods at Former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) Remediation Sites” during the Air Monitoring Technical Session at the MGP USA 2008: Third International Symposium and Exhibition on the Redevelopment of Manufactured Gas Plant Sites, September 23-25, 2008, in Mystic, CT.

MGP USA 2008 is the third international symposium in an on-going series, initiated in 1995, focusing on how the remediation and redevelopment of MGP sites is taking place today. The presentation was delivered by Ms. Alyson Fortune, an Air Quality Scientist with Columbia Analytical Services, with the paper co-authored by Leo Gendron, Senior Program Manager at ENSR in Westford, MA.

The paper included real world data from 105 co-located EPA TO-15 and EPA TO-13A samples; findings showed that the EPA TO-15 method consistently yielded higher concentrations of naphthalene than EPA TO-13A. “The findings in this paper are consistent with what our lab has seen anecdotally for 20 years”, Fortune said.

Read the Naphthalene Ambient Air Sampling abstract…

For those interested in the measurement of naphthalene in ambient air, please contact Columbia Analytical at 805-526-7161.