Heavy Metals, Organic Chemicals, Asbestos and Biohazards Characterization

Today, we are facing unprecedented challenges to protect our environment. With rapid development of industrial and agricultural production, industrial pollution in the soil seems to be ubiquitous. The soil is one of the most important natural elements and the material basis for human survival. The soil quality is not only directly related to the safety of agricultural products, ecological security, but also to human health, as well as the society development and stability.

We've already realized that industrial by-products and waste have an impact on the environment and human health. These include waste air emissions, waste products in effluents, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Accurate measurement of pollutant levels in air, water, soil, sediment and biota assists decision-makers and environmental management professionals to establish guidelines and management plans to ensure responsible development of our natural resources. The role of Alfa Chemistry is to help assessing the level and type of contaminants in environment and surroundings. Our lab has extensive experience in the field of analysis of soil contaminants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides and heavy metals.

Organic chemicals testing

Our objective is to provide accurate, legally defensible and timely results to our clients. We are capable of measuring organic compounds using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The lab maintains gas chromatographs equipped with autosamplers and a variety of detectors such as flame ionization (FID), electron capture (ECD), and photoionization (PID). Our testing covers Volatile Aromatic Organics, Organochlorine Pesticides, PCBs (as Aroclors), Chlorinated Acid Herbicides, Volatile Organics (VOCs), Semivolatile Organics (SVOCs), Organ phosphorus Pesticides, etc.

Biohazard testing

Biohazards are defined as any biological or chemical substance that is dangerous to humans, animals, or the environment. Some contaminants spread through different levels of the food chain and affect human through bioaccumulation and biomagnification in the ecosystem. Our standard list includes Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as dioxins, PBDEs and PCBs, a full range of metals including mercury, arsenic, lead and others.

Asbestos testing

Asbestos is a group of fibrous minerals with properties like high tensile strength, very good thermal and electrical insulation properties, and resistance to chemicals. The use of asbestos was banned in many countries, when the hazards of asbestos were discovered. The asbestos minerals can be identified using several methods. Commonly, phase contrast polarized light microscopy (PLM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used. Other potential techniques include X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The presence of asbestos is normally confirmed using PLM since their appearance can be identified under a microscope. An advantage of using TEM is that very fine fibers can be analyzed, sometimes even their chemical composition and crystal structure can be determined. However, TEM can analyze fibers diameter less than 0.1 μm.

We are seasoned professionals who can provide accurate and reliable tests results within the time constraint. Alfa Chemistry is proud of the competence and professionalism of its technicians and constantly strives to develop their capabilities and knowledge to the benefit of customers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any concern or would like us to perform any testing. Check our instruments list to see our capabilities.