Laboratory Certification

Certification is a formal regulatory permit to provide analytical services in support of programs being overseen by the regulatory authority providing the certification. Prior to the mid-1990s environmental laboratories obtained certification from individual states as needed. (On certain rare occasions a state would recognize another state's certification in a system of reciprocity.) This system was redundant and expensive. Also, there were no uniform standards for certification so some states had rigorous programs while others were informal and lax.

In 1994 the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) was formed. NELAC is an association of EPA and certain states with the mission of adopting uniform and appropriate laboratory certification standards. The National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) is the entity that implements the NELAC standards in an accrediting capacity. The accrediting officials are in fact state agencies from states which participate in NELAC. For example, New York is a NELAC participating state and they issue NELAP certifications to applicants.

Only 12 states participate in the NELAC/NELAP system. Consequently, multiple certifications are still the norm. Most states that elect to administer their own programs do so because they feel that technical focus and scientific interchange is of central importance. NELAC and many other quality science associations feel that technical excellence is autonomic in a proper programmatic environment. The result (for laboratories with multiple certifications) is a combined oversight that benefits the laboratories and their clients.

NETLAB has its NELAP certification through New York State. Other NELAC State Certifications require an application and a fee. We have NELAC State certifications with New York and New Hampshire.

NELAC CERTIFICATION: LABID: 11673: Approved for the following categories: Air and Emissions, Non Potable Water, Potable Water, Soil/Sediment, Solid and Hazardous Waste. NELAC states include: California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah.

We maintain individual certifications in the following non-participant states: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine.

If you need further information about certification parameters and categories contact our QA Officer, Jodi Lyons.