Front CoverContact
Director's Overview
Office of the Director
GenomicsHuman ResourcesInformation and TechnologyIowa Laboratory Appraisal Program - CLIAOrganizational DevelopmentPublic PolicyResearch and DevelopmentStrategic Communications
Year at a Glance
Administration and Finance
Financial ManagementCentral Accessioning and ReceivingCentral ServicesEducation and OutreachFacilitiesGlasswareGrants and ContractsMedia / Reagent LabSafety and Security
Disease Control Division
Environmental MicrobiologyMaternal Prenatal ScreeningMicrobiologyMolecular DiagnosticsNewborn ScreeningSerology
Environmental Health Division
Ambient Air QualityBlood LeadEmergency PreparednessFERN Chemistry CAPGas Chromatography AnalysisIndustrial Hygiene and AsbestosInorganic ChemistryIowa Lakeside Laboratory -
Regents Resource CenterLimnologyLiquid ChromatographyRadiochemistryRadiological Emergency Response Team
Testing Data - Page OneTesting Data - Page TwoRevenueExpenses
Back Cover
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
DIVISION
The Environmental Health Division monitors Iowa’s air, water and soil through analytical testing mandated by the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Environmental scientists test for contaminants of public health concern and respond to environmental and natural disasters, such as compromised water supplies due to chemical spills and flooding.

Gas Chromatography Analysis

The Gas Chromatography section identifies and measures potentially toxic organic compounds in soil, water and air at very low concentrations. A significant portion of the section’s activities is testing drinking water for volatile organic compounds, plasticizers, pesticides and industrial chemicals such as disinfection byproducts. Surface water monitoring for a variety of pesticides and environmentally persistent pesticide degradates is conducted for various rivers and wetlands for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and other clients.

Major achievements:

  • Identified solutions to testing wastewater for industrial permit compliance.
  • Increased testing of public water supplies for chemicals listed by the US EPA Unregulated Contaminants Monitoring Rule 3 (UCMR3). The Hygienic Laboratory was the first state environmental and public health laboratory to achieve approval status to test for all 28 chemicals identified in the EPA Rule.
  • Continued to design customized electronic interfaces for dozens of instruments, improving efficiency and accuracy in the lab.