ERLN Activities Details
- All Hazard Receipt Facility
- Chemical Methods
- Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) Fixed Laboratory Pilot Project
- Microbial Efforts
- WLA Response Plan
All Hazard Receipt Facility
The All Hazard Receipt Facility (AHRF) and All Hazards Screening Protocol were designed to assess explosive, chemical and radiological hazards that might be associated with an unknown or suspicious sample. They also assist laboratory managers in making safe and appropriate decisions about sample acceptance and further laboratory analysis. Evaluation of the prototype AHRF will result in a standard describing critical laboratory design and engineering criteria. Plus a robust unknown sample screening protocol which can be flexibly integrated into public health and environmental laboratories requiring the capability to screen unknown samples throughout the country.
More information on the All Hazard Receipt Facility (90 pp, 1 M, About PDF)
Chemical Methods
Existing methods are being updated and new methods are being developed for the detection of several contaminants of concern for the drinking water sector. For more information, see Standardized Analytical Methods.
Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) Fixed Laboratory Pilot Project
Five regional and two state laboratories are participating in a project to develop an ability to analyze samples for specialized chemicals that might be used in terrorist incidents. This new laboratory capability will allow confirmation of CWAs in environmental samples, such as soil, debris, and water samples, associated with the clean up of sites contaminated from a terrorist incident.
Microbial Efforts
Quality control criteria are being developed for the Laboratory Response Network's Ultrafiltration Procedure. The criteria will enable the demonstration of laboratory capability through assessment of recovery, as well as provide laboratories the opportunity to maintain aptitude between proficiency testing rounds. Standard Analytical Procedures for the collection, isolation, and analysis are also being developed for a variety of biological agents in environmental samples.
WLA Response Plan
This plan provides guidance to direct a comprehensive, multi-regional laboratory response, and was based on common elements of the 11 Regional Laboratory Response Plans.