All Laboratories are not the same- Choose the right one
Most environmental consultants, IAQ professionals and health and safety officers don’t factor in quality when they choose a lab. Incorrectly, they think most labs will deliver the same results. They don’t. And that lack of consistency has led to false positives, unreported issues and a lot of wasted money and time.
Step 1: Look for accreditation
Specifically, look for an ISO 17025 International Standard. It’s a sign of quality processes and procedures. We have that. Request a Quote.
Step 2: Consider the price
Like with anything else, you get what you pay for. So if you’re being quoted a price that’s too good to be true, it probably is. That’s not to say more expensive is better, but cheaper is almost always worse.
Step 3: Find out what they can do
A quality lab can do more than just a simple test. In our case, we do:
- Culturable fungal analysis (culturable Air for samples including RCS, Andersen, SAS, etc.): We’ll identify to genus or species level of all fungi present and enumeration to cfu/m3.
- Direct microscopic exam (Direct Microscopic Examination of tape, bulk, swab and water samples): We’ll identify the genus (or group) of all fungi present and perform a qualitative assessment.
- Fungi surface culture (swabs, wipes, bulk samples, dust, water, etc.): We’ll identify all fungi present to the genus and/or species level, and quantify to CFU/unit.
- Spore trap analysis (air-O-Cell, BioAire and Micro5 cassettes, Allergenco, Burkard and BioSIS slides): We can identify and enumerate (counts/m3) to genus (or group) of all spore types present. We can quantify fibers and hyphal fragments, and assess background debris and skin cells.
- Help troubleshoot fungal contamination issues of imported or stored products
Step 4: Find out how they go above and beyond
For example, our service includes:
- Reliable turnaround times – Fast and consistent to meet your needs.
- Industry-leading service – You’ll have a dedicated project manager to answer questions and alleviate concerns.
- Free shipping with no hidden costs on prepaid projects with 5 or more samples.
- Easy-to-understand reports so you understand what you have and what you need to do.
- Degreed analysts who perform all analyses. We don’t just hire anybody. This is way too important.
