Alabama Department of Environmental Management

 

The Field Operations Division is responsible for ADEM laboratory operations. The division operates three laboratories - the Central Laboratory in Montgomery and branch laboratories in Birmingham and Mobile.

The ADEM Central Laboratory is responsible for organic, inorganic and radiochemical analyses for the Department’s Water, Land and Air Programs. A variety of scientific instrumentation is used to perform the analyses and achieve ever-decreasing detection limits. Some of these instruments include:

1 Inductively-Coupled Plasma Unit/Mass Spectrometer
4 Gas Chromatographs/Mass Spectrometers
4 Gas Chromatographs
1 High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph
2 Automated Nutrient Analyzers
1 Inductively Coupled Plasma Unit
1 Graphite Furnace
1 Flame Atomic Absorption Unit
1 Gamma Ray Analyzer
1 Alpha Beta Particle Counter
1 Liquid Scintillation Counter
1 UV-Visible Spectrophotometer
1 Ion Chromatograph
1 Gel Permeation Chromatograph
1 Automatic Solvent Extraction Unit

1 Flow Injection Mercury Analyzer
1 PC - Titrator
1 Atomic Analyzer

Some of the uses of this equipment includes the following:

• Gas Chromatographs/Mass Spectrometers are used in the analysis of surface water, groundwater and drinking water samples for low level volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, carbon tetrachloride and others. The detection limit for these instruments is 0.5 ug/l or lower. These instruments are also used in the analysis of air samples for carbon disulfide.

• Gas Chromatographs are used in the analysis of water and solid waste samples for herbicides and pesticides. Some of the more common of these are toxaphene, 2,4,D, chlordane, heptachlor, lindane and endrin. These instruments are also used to measure polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) in fish tissue, soils and water.

• The High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph is used to analyze water samples for the insecticide aldicarb (trade name Temik), herbicide diquat (used for industrial and aquatic weed control), herbicide glyphosate (trade name Roundup).

• The Automated Nutrient Analyzer measures low levels of nutrients, including nitrate, nitrite, phosphate and ammonia, in surface water, groundwater and drinking water. The instrument can detect low parts per billion range (ppb) for these parameters.

• The Inductively Coupled Plasma Unit measures low to high level amounts of metallic constituents such as cadmium, copper, nickel and zinc in various environmental media and fish tissue.

• The Graphite Furnace is used to measure lead, arsenic and selenium in drinking water and wastewater samples using low detection levels.

• The Gamma Ray Analyzer is used to determine trace amounts of gamma ray emitters such as Cesium-137 and Iodine-131 in drinking water and environmental samples.

• The Alpha Beta Counter is used to determine trace amounts of alpha and beta particle emitters from drinking water and environmental radiation monitoring sites.

• Liquid Scintillation Counters are used to determine environmental levels of tritium (H-3) and carbon -14.

• UV-visible spectrophotometers are used to determine concentrations of cyanides, phenols, and chlorophyll α.

• Ion Chromatograph - used to measure low levels of disinfection by products in drinking water, such as chlorite, chlorate and bromate, as well as sulfates, chloride, and fluoride.

• PC - Titrator - used to measure alkalinity, pH, conductivity, and turbidity in drinking water and environmental samples

• Atomic Analyzer – used to measure low level metals analysis in environmental samples.

   

The Mobile Laboratory has a complete array of inorganic analyses that includes metals, demands, nutrients, solids, cyanide, phenols and bacteriological capability. The major equipment in this laboratory includes one of each of the following:

Inductively Coupled Plasma Unit
Graphite Furnace
Nutrient Analyzer
Ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometer
Mercury Analyzer

The Birmingham laboratory has a complete inorganic capability and has the following major instrumentation :

The laboratories continue their analytical support for monitoring activities associated with the list of impaired waters pursuant to section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. This statewide project includes nearly 346 sampling stations that were studied from March 2006 to March 2007.  All three laboratories provided analytical support to the Alabama Monitoring and Assessment Program (ALAMAP) program. This program provides water quality data to determine the current status of streams, rivers and lakes in Alabama using environmental indicators. The resulting data are compiled into the 305(b) Report to the United States Congress.

For the past seven years the Montgomery and Mobile laboratories analyzed samples from Mobile Bay for the National Coast Assessment (NCA) 2000 Program. The Mobile laboratory analyzed fish tissue and sediment samples for heavy metals and the Montgomery facility provided analyses for polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), PCB congeners and pesticides.

The Montgomery laboratory completed sample analysis in support of the 16th year of the annual ADEM Fish Tissue monitoring program. ADEM undertook this project in 1991 to determine the bioaccumulative pollutant levels in fish collected from Alabama’s lakes and streams. The fish tissue samples are analyzed for the following parameters: arsenic, selenium, cadmium, chlordane, dursban, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mercury, mirex, PCBs and toxaphene. These pollutants were selected due to their bioaccumulation, their presence and persistence in the environment and their known or suspected human health effects. In 2007, the Montgomery laboratory analyzed approximately 540 fish tissue samples, these fish samples were taken from 45 stations across Alabama.

The Montgomery and Mobile laboratories continues to maintain laboratory certification from EPA pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water Act for all inorganic, organic and radiological parameters. The Montgomery and Mobile laboratories earned over 100% acceptable results on both the water pollution and water supply audits during 2007.

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Contact Information

ADEM
Attn: Field Operations Division
Laboratory
Post Office Box 301463
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-1463

Telephone Number : (334) 260-2770
Fax Number: (334) 277-6718