To all of our friends and partners in California impacted by the devastating wildfires, Merit Laboratories is here to support you. When wildfires ravage communities, natural landscape, and places we call home, the impact is major. Lives are interrupted while homes, schools, and businesses are destroyed. Another significant impact of wildfires is environmental contamination.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to address the growing concerns over PFAS by adding nine new compounds to the Toxics Release Inventory. This move aims to improve transparency and provide better data on the presence and release of these persistent chemicals in the environment.
The analysis of PFAS by EPA 1633A and ASTM D8421 is part of the U.S. EPA’s Methods Update Rule (MUR) Rule 22. The action will promulgate EPA into 40 CFR Part 136. Also part of this action, PFAS method ASTM D8421 is proposed to be codified.
In this episode of sh(e)=mc2 we meet Cheryl Murphy, an ecotoxicologist who has traveled the world studying the effects of chemicals on wildlife. Cheryl’s career journey has opened many new doors as she pursues her passion for science. She shares the interesting path of her scientific career and offers her unique perspectives, including reducing barriers for diversity in science.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched interactive PFAS Analytic Tools to integrate data about PFAS reporting, testing, and occurrences in communities, making it easier to evaluate the collective PFAS information from nearly a dozen different databases that include relevant information.
We're excited to announce the launch of our new podcast, sh(e)=mc2, which celebrates the energy, light, and power created by women leaders in science. The podcast is now available for listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart, and other platforms. We share inspiring stories in our first season of sh(e) = mc2. We are connecting with amazing women
3M announced that it will exit per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) manufacturing and work to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025. In the official announcement from 3M, the company said that it plans to. Exit all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025: 3M will discontinue manufacturing all fluoropolymers, fluorinated fluids, and PFAS-based additive products.
The Department of Energy (DOE) will be hosting the 2022 Analytical Services Program (ASP) Annual Training Workshop in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ASP Workshop will be held from December 6th through December 8th at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel. Merit Laboratories will be participating in the workshop, which focuses on providing DOE stakeholders with annual training related to key topics in laboratory testing.
The U.S. EPA officially approved Merit Laboratories to perform analytical laboratory testing for PFAS compounds as part of the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UMCR5). As part of UCMR5, Merit Laboratories is approved for analytical methods EPA 533 and EPA 537.1. UCMR 5 includes all 29 PFAS compounds that are within the scope of EPA Methods 533 and 537.1.
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) continues to track PFAS contamination progress at over 700 military installations throughout the country. In the DoD’s latest update, the list of sites includes bases and facilities in all 50 states and several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Wisconsin PFAS Action Council published its 2022 PFAS Action Plan Progress Report in August. The progress report presented progress in the eight themes that are covered in the states PFAS Action Plan to address statewide PFAS contamination. A few of the highlights presented as accomplishments in the report include the implementation of new surface water and drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS
Merit Laboratories plays an active role in advancing the development of analytical methods for the scientific testing industry. As testament to this active role, Michael Goergen of Merit Laboratories is the chair of ASTM D19.02, a subcommittee of ASTM D19 on Water that addresses Quality Systems, Specifications, and Statistics.
