General Guidelines
- Containers may be picked up at the lab or we can provide them for you. Shipping charges will be collected when orders for containers are received. You may call to place an order or fill out a request online under our “Contact Us” page.
- We can also collect some types of samples. Please contact the lab in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs and schedule.
- Our standard turnaround times (TAT) are Ten (10) business days (not including the day submitted). Rush Analysis is available. Please call for details and pricing.
- KNL Environmental Testing, LLC. accepts samples for analysis Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- If there is a delay between obtaining the water samples and delivery to the laboratory, please keep the samples on ice or in the refrigerator as some samples have short hold times. Call the lab if you experience a delay in drop-off to determine if your sample will meet the required hold time and/or need to be resampled.
- We recommend bringing the water samples to the laboratory as soon as practical. The maximum "holding time" for some microbiological samples is 6 hours. You can deliver all of the samples at the same time if the delivery is made within 24 hours of the first day's sampling period. if you are unsure of the hold time for your particular sample(s), please call us for assistance.
- Results of the bacteriological analysis will be mailed to you within 2 days of receiving the sample. The lead and nitrate analysis usually take longer, but generally are completed within 2 weeks.
Radiochemistry
There are 2 protocols to follow for radiochemical analysis. The protocol you follow will be based on which analyse are being tested.
Gross Alpha/Beta, Radium, and Uranium
- Collect 1 liter per analyte
- The sample must be preserved with nitric acid (HNO3) to pH <2 within 5 days of collection. You have the option of preserving the sample yourself or having KNL preserve the samples at the laboratory.
- No icing or refrigeration is required.
- Shipping is best accomplished by FedEx, UPS, or other common carrier.
- EPA maximum hold time is 6 months.
- Test results are faxed or emailed within 2 weeks of sample receipt.
Radon
- 2 airtight vials (same containers as VOC's) per sample required.
- Sample preservation is not required.
- No icing or refrigeration is required.
- Radon has a half-life of 3.8 days. Consequently, plan your sampling event for Monday through Wednesday only then ship overnight to the laboratory. Samples should be received no later than Thursday of the week submitted.
- Test results are faxed or emailed within 2 weeks of sample receipt.
Gross Alpha: High-Solids Samples
KNL uses EPA Method 900.0 Rev. 1(equivalent to Std. Methods method 7110B) for measurement of Gross Alpha particle activity in water samples. Although this method is the "standard" for the measurement of Gross Alpha in all types of water, it has its limitations. More specifically, samples with high solids content experience severe alpha self-absorption, leading directly to high detection limits and high 95% confidence level calculations. The EPA Eastern Environmental Radiation Facility has developed an alternative method for Gross Alpha that addresses these limitations, permitting lower detection limits for high-solids samples. This method has full EPA approval (EERF:00-02). Analyses by this method are slightly more expensive than by method 900.0 Rev. 1
If you are interested in having your high-solids samples analyzed using this alternate method, please indicate this on your analysis request documentation.