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Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (ACL), under the Office of Pesticide Programs, provides scientific, laboratory, and technical support through chemical analyses of pesticides and related chemicals.
Location: EPA's Environmental Science Center at Fort Meade, Maryland
The laboratory's responsibilities include:
- Developing new, multi-residue analytical methods for specific classes of pesticides and their metabolites in foods and feeds. The new methods are designed to gather more pesticide residue data at lower levels in support of regulatory action to protect people and the environment.
- Furnishing expert technical advice and performing special chemical studies of a critical nature identified by OPP to fill data needs.
- Providing analytical chemistry support to the Antimicrobial Testing
Program
Scientist performing chemical extractions. - Operating and maintaining the EPA National Pesticide Standard Repository for technical grade and pure pesticide analytical reference standards. Standards are supplied to Federal, State, and Tribal enforcement laboratories for validating test results, calibrating instruments, and for identifying and quantifying pesticide residues.
- Maintaining and revising (where appropriate) methods manuals and method indices and distributing analytical methods for pesticide formulations and residues.
- Reviewing and validating pesticide tolerance and formulation enforcement methods.
- Supporting commitments of the Agency to Regions, States, Tribes, and other Federal agencies that enforce FIFRA – for example, providing training on how to conduct residue analyses.
- Assisting in investigations of incidents such as crop damage or illegal pesticide residues by analyzing samples.
EPA National Pesticide Standards Repository
Pesticide repository standards collection.
EPA's National Pesticide Standard Repository collects and maintains pesticide standards A– samples of pure active ingredients or technical grade active ingredients for pesticides, and regulated metabolites, degradates, and related compounds. The repository strives to maintain an inventory of all pesticides currently registered in the United States. The repository also has an incomplete inventory of some pesticides not currently registered. Upon request, the repository distributes these standards to EPA and other Federal labs, State enforcement labs, and Tribal labs involved in pesticide enforcement, including tolerance reinforcement, verification of label claims, and investigations of pesticide use/misuse in support of the Agency's regulatory decisions for FIFRA and FQPA.
Some of the activities that require pesticide standards are as follows:
- Analysis of foods and feeds for compliance with established pesticide tolerances
- Analysis of end-use pesticide formulations to determine compliance with declared active ingredient(s) statements, and undeclared active ingredient(s) present.
- Analysis of samples from Pest Control Operators licensing program and related use/misuse investigations.
- Analysis of air, water, and soil from monitoring or permit enforcement.
- Provides, upon request to qualified applicants, pesticide standards.