Labs

The Labs identified below are EPA facilities that conduct scientific, technical, and research, activities including field and analytical services for EPA Regions and Programs Offices. The labs are listed by EPA Region and Program Office and displayed geographically on the maps below. Click on the maps below to find out more labs in your area.

EPA Regional Laboratories

Region 1
The EPA New England Regional Laboratory monitors and analyzes the health of the New England environment and its impacts on residents. The New England Regional Laboratory capabilities include: chemistry and biology laboratories, ecological field monitoring, air monitoring, investigations, and quality assurance.

Region 2
EPA's Division of Environmental Science and Assessment Laboratory Branch is responsible for measuring the levels of chemical, microbiological and biological contaminants in diverse media such as water, air, drinking water, sewage, soil, sediment, hazardous waste, etc.

Region 3
EPA's Environmental Science Center provides centralized analytical services and quality assurance support.

Region 4
EPA's Analytical Support Branch provides a full range of inorganic and organic analyses, customized techniques and method development, modern instrumentation in a state-of-the-art facility, and on-site and specialty procedures.

Region 5
EPA's Central Regional Laboratory provides expertise, training and scientific data of known and appropriate quality to support the Region and Agency's decisions, including Regional and state enforcement actions, through partnership.

Region 6
EPA's Environmental Services Branch - Houston Laboratory provides support to Region 6 programs. It provides quality assured analytical support using state-of-the-art techniques and methodology for organic, inorganic, and biological analyses. Laboratory personnel also perform evaluations and audits of environmental monitoring laboratories and public water supply laboratories.

Region 9
EPA's Region 9 Laboratory is a full service, state-of-the-art facility specializing in chemical analysis, biological analysis, and field sampling services.

Region 10
EPA's Manchester Environmental Laboratory provides high quality physical, chemical, biological and microbiological analyses in support of the following EPA programs: air, surface water, drinking water, Superfund, pesticides, and hazardous materials.

EPA Program Office Laboratories

EPA's Office of Research and Development Labs:

• Ada, Oklahoma: National Risk Management Research Lab (NRMRL) Subsurface Protection & Remediation Division - (formerly the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory) in Ada, Oklahoma conducts research and engages in technical assistance and technology transfer on the chemical, physical and biological structure and processes of the subsurface environment, the biogeochemical interactions in that environment and fluxes to other environmental media.

• Athens, Georgia: National Exposure Research Lab (NERL) Ecosystems Research Division - conducts research on organic and inorganic chemicals, greenhouse gas biogeochemical cycles, and land use perturbations that create direct and indirect, chemical and non-chemical stressor exposures and potential risks to humans and ecosystems.

• Cincinnati, Ohio:

  • National Center for Environmental Assessment: Cincinnati, Ohio Office - provides agent-specific risk assessment and technical assistance.

  • National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab: Ecological Exposure Research Division - conducts laboratory and field studies aimed at providing research products that enable EPA to conduct predictive and retrospective exposure assessments.

  • National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab: Microbiological & Chemical Exposure Assessment Research Division (MCEARD) - conducts research to measure, characterize and predict the exposure of humans to chemical and microbial hazards.

• Corvallis, Oregon: National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL): Western Ecology Division - evaluates the effects of chemical contaminants, land use, and global climate change on terrestrial ecosystems and on watershed ecology along the Pacific coast.

• Duluth, Minnesota: National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL): Mid-Continent Ecology Division - performs research to protect freshwater ecosystems and wildlife and to understand the basic processes and mechanisms involved in aquatic toxicity.

• Edison, New Jersey: National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL): Urban Watershed Management Branch - researches, develops and demonstrates technologies, systems, and methods required to manage the risks to public health, property, and the environment from wet weather flow and to renew decaying urban infrastructure.

• Grosse Ile, Michigan: Large Lakes and Rivers Forecasting Research Branch - develops the technology to assess and predict the present and future effects of biotic and abiotic stressors on freshwater ecological resources with known certainty in support of short- and long-term management goals.

• Gulf Breeze, Florida: National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL) Gulf Ecology Division - assesses the condition of coastal ecosystems (wetlands, bays, estuaries, and coral reefs) in the Gulf of Mexico and analyzes causes of change to ecological status.

• Narragansett, Rhode Island: National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL) Atlantic Ecology Division - studies the effects of contaminants and other stressors on the coastal waters and watersheds of the Atlantic seaboard.

• Las Vegas, Nevada: National Exposure Research Lab (NERL) Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) - conducts research, development, and transfer programs on environmental exposures to ecological and human receptors. ESD develops methods for characterizing chemical and physical stressors, with special emphasis on ecological exposure.

• Newport, Oregon: National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL): Western Ecology Division, Newport Facilities - houses wet labs, which are available for a variety of experiments including tests of exotic species and chronic pollutant exposures, as well as analytical laboratory facilities, which provide for low-level analysis of organic pollutants, metals, and natural products.

• Research Triangle Park, North Carolina:

  • National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) Research Triangle Park, North Carolina Office - primarily develops and publishes air quality criteria documents for major air pollutants, provides health and ecological assessments of air toxics and assessments and scientific assistance on fuels/fuel additives.

  • National Exposure Research Lab (NERL) Atmospheric Sciences Modeling Division - performs much of the air pollution meteorology research for EPA, conducts in-house research, and manages numerous cooperative agreements and contracts.

  • National Exposure Research Lab (NERL) Human Exposure & Atmospheric Sciences Division - conducts research to characterize pollutant exposures from the pollutant source to the exposed person or receptor.

  • National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL) Environmental Carcinogenesis Division - conducts mechanistically-based research to explain the association between environmental pollution and cancer.

  • National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL) Experimental Toxicology Division - responsible for pharmacokinetics research; examines pulmonary, immunological, hepatic, cardiovascular, and renal toxicity resulting from environmental contaminants.

  • National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL) Human Studies Division - conducts clinical and epidemiological investigations to better understand human response to pollution.

  • National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL) Neurotoxicology Division - studies the effects of chemical and/or physical agents on the nervous system.

  • National Health & Environmental Effects Research Lab (NHEERL) Reproductive Toxicology Division - evaluates the effects of environmental pollutants on human reproductive potential / competence and development.

  • National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT) coordinates and implements EPA's research in the field of computational toxicology.

EPA's Office of Water Labs:

• "Lake Guardian" - The research vessel Lake Guardian is EPA's largest research and monitoring vessel. It is the only self-contained, non-polluting research ship on the Great Lakes. The research vessel Lake Guardian, operated by the EPA's Chicago-based Great Lakes National Program Office, is used extensively, to support EPA monitoring and research activities. It is also used to support research activities conducted by federal, state, and, local agencies, and universities.

EPA's Office of Air and Radiation Labs:

• Montgomery, Alabama: National Air and Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL) - posses a comprehensive environmental laboratory for measuring environmental radioactivity and evaluating its risk to the public.

• Ann Arbor, Michigan: National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory - is responsible for developing national regulatory programs to reduce mobile source related air pollution; evaluating emission control technology; testing vehicles, engines, and fuels; and determining compliance with Federal emissions and fuel economy standards.

• Las Vegas, Nevada: Radiation and Indoor Environments National Laboratory - provides technical support for numerous radiation protection and control activities, conducts site investigations, radon assessments and evaluations, health assessment modeling, and indoor air studies.

EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances Labs:

• Bay St. Louis, Mississippi: Environmental Chemistry Lab

• Ft. Meade, Maryland:

  • Analytical Chemistry Branch Laboratory - evaluates analytical methods for detecting pesticide residues in food and fibers to make sure they are suitable for monitoring pesticide residues in food and to enforce maximum legal residue limits.

  • Antimicrobial and Plant Pathogens Branch's Microbiology Laboratory - tests registered antimicrobial pesticides (in particular, hospital disinfectants and tuberculocides) to ensure that they function as claimed (efficacy testing), that is, they kill the germs the label claim the product will kill.