The Mobile Laboratory: A New Approach in Environmental Diagnostics

Why is a mobile laboratory important? Indoor Quality related issues often result in productivity loss and health related complications in both commercial and residential buildings. An environmental laboratory plays an important and crucial role in responding to the factors related to indoor air quality. Poor indoor quality often results of some imminent and examinant contaminating conditions. Obviously, the imminent factors for contamination within buildings may be determined by a walk-though inspection by evaluators, depending upon the expertise and experience of the person. However, evaluation of the aspects that are not apparent, often requires laboratory intervention.

Most of the environmental laboratories are fixed site laboratories. These laboratories receive their specimens by mail or other transportation methods. Analytical procedures adapted/practiced by the laboratory are suitable for the specimen study, however time lost in transportation and the conditions during the transport can be crucial in decision making, especially for microbiological samples which can be impacted by time and other environmental parameters.

A mobile laboratory, which scientifically trained staff can move from location to location, is a self-sufficient laboratory for a rapid response. These laboratories are designed in a transport vehicle that are equipped with analytical equipment including microscopes, incubators, refrigerators, and other apparatuses and laboratory supplies. In recent years, the demands of mobile laboratories are growing, especially when dealing with natural catastrophic responses (e.g. hurricane, floods, earthquakes, and etc.), hospital contamination, indoor pollution in buildings and clearance after remediation and restoration projects, etc. Mobile laboratories are used in situations where testing at the specific location must be performed within a brief and specified time period for making vital decisions

Advantages of a Mobile Laboratory:

1. Fast turn-around time.
2. Accurate and reliable data.
3. Scientific principle-based analysis under regimented QA/QC.
4. Avoidance of project delays.
5. Reduction in shipping cost.
6. Specific task handling by the analytical specialist.
7. Flexibility in sample collection time and better coordination with lab analytical work.
8. On-site decision making for the success of environmental remediation.
9. Laboratory set-ups in customer preferred locations.

The cost associated with mobile laboratory services is a common question for many customers. However, the benefits of rapid response analysis often outweigh the additional expense especially in disaster or emergency scenarios.

Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory has a fully capable mobile laboratory ready to deploy at a moment’s notice! For more info or to contract EDLab’s mobile services please call 1-800-422-7873 or email us here.