Monthly Archives: July 2022

Environment testing labs are utilized by businesses to obtain objective analytical data on the quality of its product or processes. Some companies use the services of these labs for product certification which can be a marketing tool while others use it to test the water and soil quality before finalizing a land or facility purchase.  Whatever be the reason, the services these laboratories offer are of great help to businesses in a variety of industry sectors. 

There are  many  reasons why businesses choose independent  labs for testing, 

1. Objectivity:  Tested by an independent environmental testing lab is to provide assurance that the test results are objective and not altered due to the influence or guidance of interested parties.  Independent labs exist mainly to provide objective analytical data on the quality of a particular product or process.  These labs document the internal processes they follow to ensure objectivity and accuracy.    

2. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Finance plays a key role in the decision-making of a firm while choosing an outside lab for testing. Small businesses will likely have a lot of things they would like to spend on like procuring new equipment,  advertising and workforce or facility expansion. These businesses would be better off financially if they secured the services of our environmental testing labs in Bangalore rather than setting up internal testing facilities. Many businesses that establish internal testing facilities do so without taking into consideration the additional costs associated with it like top-level management salaries and benefits, professional services like legal or accounting, depreciation and interest expense.   

3. SAFETY: Companies that manufacture hazardous materials prefer to utilize the services of an independent lab to minimize the danger of in-house exposure to potentially hazardous agents. 

4. FORMULATION OF TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: One of the main functions of environmental testing labs in India is to formulate detailed technical specifications of the various advanced instruments which help in analyzing trace metals like mercy, total organic carbon, organic halides and the equipment needed for these instruments.    

Environment testing labs are responsible for the improvement in the health of individuals, wildlife and the environment. By providing technical data and analysis, they provide a solution on the steps to be taken to preserve the well-being of the area.   

SMSLA’s testing labs are accredited by national as well as international bodies.  While performing indoor air quality inspection, we use highly sophisticated and sensitive instruments like LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS by which we are able to identify and quantify trace levels of many organic and inorganic pollutants. We have the technical expertise, knowledge, and infrastructure to cater to the different regulatory requirements.  All our laboratories have a good track record in proficiently testing for micro-level residual analysis according to global standards.  

Our experts test for Ambient Air monitoring , work zone pollution , fugitive emissions, point and non point emissions, Sound level and Particle size distribution, volatiles and semi volatiles in air , heavy metals in air, all the regulatory specified quality parameters for water and waste water. Also we do leachability studies of solid wastes   

We have our environmental testing labs in Chennai which are solely focused on residual analysis for pesticides, antibodies and metabolites. 

When it comes to food, we all want to ensure that consumers get the best quality products.  From size, shape, color, and consistency to the taste of the product, farmers are always looking to grow the best crops and producers want to produce top-quality products. 

With that comes the responsibility of managing both the safety and quality of fresh food products.  The majority of the world's food is grown on farms.  That is why it is pesticides are needed to protect the crops from damage and prevent crop losses due to diseases. 

While pesticides are necessary to ensure the safety of food, it is equally important to take care that they are free from pesticide residues.  Here is where pesticide testing labs come into the picture. 

Pesticide Residue Detection Methods 

1. Folded Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry 

GC/MS is the most commonly used method for pesticide residue analysis.  For higher sensitivity and accuracy, ion mode is used to confirm the target substance based on the retention time, ion characteristics and ion ratio relationships.      

2. Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS-MS) 

LC-MS/MS is a method identical to GC-MS but it uses a tandem mass spectrometer which makes it possible to select specific analytes for individual fragmentation which allows for more complex mixtures to be analyzed easily. 

This method uses a beam of electrons to ionize analytes but the instrument can also ionize an intermediate gas which ionizes the analyte in secondary reactions.  This method minimizes the decomposition of analytes during the ionization stage and allows for more sensitive fragmentation during the MS/MS stages. 

What Are Pesticide Labs? 

Pesticide residue testing laboratory analyzes food products to ascertain the presence of harmful residues from foreign substances.  The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) defines it and the Food and Drug Administration(EDA) enforces it. 

These labs evaluate and perform in-depth analyses to ensure that the food products that are being sent out  meet the Maximum residue limits set by the EPA for safe consumption  

The tolerances set by the various national and International authorities like FSSAI , APEDA . AGMARK BIS and EU  are the standards for the acceptable level of pesticides that can remain in or on a product. Pesticides are defined as  “many kinds of ingredients used in products such as insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, insect repellants, weed killers, antimicrobials and swimming pool chemicals that are designed to prevent, destroy, repel or reduce pests of any sort” 

SMSLA labs are accredited by various national and international bodies including NABL use sophisticated and high sensitive equipment such as LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS to identify and quantify trace amounts of multiple pesticide residues in a single run. 

We have the technical expertise, knowledge and infrastructure to cater to  the various regulations.  Moreover, we have a huge catalogue of pesticide standards to identify even minute levels of pesticides in all types of products.  We have an excellent track record of using globally  accepted test methods which gives us  as well as our customers confidence in our test methods and results  Through process optimization and by using the latest instruments, we ensure a quick turnaround time and accurate results without compromising the quality of the test results.