Latest News & Press Releases - Monitoring & Testing

Carry online with interactive sound level meters

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Online noise monitoring is now possible as Br�el & Kj�r has developed a high-speed, web-browser functionality for its family of hand-held analysers. This innovative design allows operators remote control access to the instrument - or instruments -from a mobile phone, PDA, iPhone or PC with Internet browser capability. It enables the user to monitor prevailing noise levels in real-time, manage the measurement setup and retrieve measurement data, thereby keeping the operator in touch with thei...

BTEX contamination of soil and water

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

BTEX is an acronym for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. They are all volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in petroleum hydrocarbons. Contamination of soil and groundwater from BTEX has occurred at petroleum and natural gas production areas, gas stations and areas with underground and above-ground storage tanks of petroleum products. The compounds are also produced in large scale by industry for industrial use as solvents and for manufacturing materials such as plastics and pesticide...

LabCORE selected by M.J. Reider, Inc. as laboratory automation tool to reduce costs and improve efficiency

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

M. J. Reider, Inc. a NELAC-accredited and highly regarded environmental testing laboratory that performs analytical testing services throughout North America has selected LabCORE to automate business processes and the handling of data and documents at its Reading, PA location.

According to Barbara Coyle, President of M.J. Reider, `Automating our data and document collection and storage from various laboratory instruments and systems using LabCORE will enable us to greatly improve efficien...

New blended gas on demand system

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The new Environics Series 3000 gas delivery/blending system offers on-site gas blending of 100% pure bulk gases and is configured to provide a solution to using costly premixed cylinders of gas. Unlike premixed cylinders, the Environics model 3000 provides a repeatable blend of gases, using precision thermal mass flow controllers. The system offers flexibility in addressing particular process and market needs. Although two and three gas mixtures are more common, gas mixtures of more constituents...

Mustang completes Continuous Emissions Monitoring (CEMS) study at BP`s Cherry Point Refinery

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mustang recently completed a front-end engineering study for a Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) reliability project at BP�s Cherry Point, Wash. refinery. Mustang evaluated the automation of BP�s CEMS to meet environmental agency compliance requirements and provided recommendations for improvements in environmental data management activities.

Mustang�s Automation and Control business unit has extensive environmental consulting expertise in process operations and data manag...

Interactive technology empowers Europeans to manage environmental change

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:35:49 GMT

As part of their partnership combining cutting-edge technology and environmental data, Microsoft Corp and the European Environment Agency (EEA) have expanded their Eye On Earth portal. A new application, AirWatch provides information on air quality to more than 500 million people across Europe. For the first time, EEA brings together both measured and modelled data alongside citizens` observations on air quality.

Eye On Earth was launched in May 2008 with WaterWatch, an application presentin...

Fossil fuel CO2 emissions up by 29 per cent since 2000, new testing confirms

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:11:25 GMT

The strongest evidence yet that the rise in atmospheric CO2 emissions continues to outstrip the ability of the world�s natural �sinks� to absorb carbon is published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.

An international team of researchers under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project reports that over the last 50 years the average fraction of global CO2 emissions that remained in the atmosphere each year was around 43 per cent � the rest was absorbed by the Earth�s carbon sinks on l...

Enterprise-wide connectivity with integration manager - an enterprise level data transformation tool

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:01:16 GMT

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, introduces Integration Manager(TM) - a flexible, powerful data transformation tool for automated data acquisition and point-to-point data distribution across the enterprise. Integration Manager provides connectivity to all parts of the laboratory workflow and translates the data generated by any of the instruments, services or third-party enterprise applications that may be used in an organization. This integration t...

Prestigious Microsoft pharmaceutical and life sciences innovation award won for second consecutive year

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:56:55 GMT

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that it has been named the winner of the Microsoft Corporation 2009 Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Innovation Award in the Discovery and Product Innovation category, for the second consecutive year. The award honors best-in-class companies for their innovative use of Microsoft-based solutions. Microsoft selected Norway-based Hunt Research Centre and Biobank in recognition of its use of Thermo Scient...

Copper-zinc interactions increase toxicity in soils, say researchers

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:56:47 GMT

Agricultural soils accumulate trace metals, particularly copper and zinc, as a result of their presence in wastes (sewage biosolids and manures) and fungicides that are applied over long periods of time. Regulations and guidelines for tolerable concentrations of these potentially plant-toxic elements in soils are based on the assumption that the toxic effects of the metals are substantially independent and not additive. However, additivity would imply that soil tolerance limits for each metal mu...

LIMS system for leading Chilean analytical testing lab

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:50:47 GMT

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that Analab Chile SA, a leading South American analytical testing laboratory, has selected SampleManager LIMS (laboratory information management system) for use in its laboratories in Chile.

Analab Chile S.A. is a contract testing laboratory for microbiological and chemical quality control and food safety. Located in Santiago, Chile, Analab was founded in 1988 to focus on analysis and certification of produc...

Shimadzu’s new GC-2010 plus capillary gas chromatograph drives precision, high-speed trace level analysis

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

With Advanced Flow Technology, a redesigned suite of detectors featuring market-leading sensitivity, and fast heating and cooling, the new GC-2010 Plus from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments improves separation performance, reduces analysis time, redefines sensitivity limits for trace analysis and ensures data quality for a wide range of applications.

The GC-2010 Plus features Shimadzu�s Advanced Flow Technology (AFT). AFT consists of digital pressure controllers, additional hardware an...

SMA America announces next generation of Sunny Boy Inverters

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

SMA America LLC, the North American subsidiary of global solar technology leader SMA Solar Technology AG, has unveiled the next generation of the Sunny Boy--the world�s most popular line of solar inverters. The new, high-frequency grid-tied inverters feature a slim enclosure, reduced weight and modern graphic display, making them the most installer-friendly models to date.

The HF models measure less than 14 inches across and features a 35 percent reduction in weight, allowing them to be m...

Weather monitoring for energy efficiency

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Orion LX Weather Station from Columbia Weather Systems assisted the Refract House in its third place win at the 2009 Solar Decathlon in Washington DC. The goal of the bi-annual competition is to design and build net-zero energy houses. A joint venture by Santa Clara University and California College of the Arts, Refract House utilizes weather data to improve energy efficiency of HVAC systems and to control automated systems such as closing windows and lowering blinds. `One of the main reasons we...

Treatability study of bioremediation of dinitrotoluene

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Dinitrotoluene (DNT) ground water contamination at the Propellant Burning Ground has been controlled by a pump and treat system since 1990. Alternative approaches to improve the cost effectiveness are under evaluation, including reducing the amount of ground water extraction by treating contaminants in place. Bioremediation has been evaluated and shown to be effective, but required an engineered application (J. Spain, 2001). This study evaluated the feasibility of bioremediation using a comme...

Nevada’s second-largest county switches to MWH soft geospatial technology

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:27:53 GMT

MWH Soft, a leading global provider of environmental and water resources applications software, today announced that Washoe County, Nevada, has adopted the company�s industry-leading InfoWater Executive and InfoSewer Pro Suite software as its standard water and sewer network modeling, design, and management solution. The software will serve as the foundation for continued development of a comprehensive GIS-centric solution for the County�s complex drinking water and sanitary sewer systems.

T...

Thermo fisher scientific’s exactive LC/MS wins best new product award at the 2009 gulf coast conference

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:31:21 GMT

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that its Exactive� LC/MS system has been named Best New Product at the 2009 Gulf Coast Conference. The award, part of the New Product Showcase introduced this year, honors the most innovative products and technologies at the Gulf Coast Conference, an event oriented toward the advancement of knowledge of chemical analysis technology in the petrochemical, refining and environmental fields. The Thermo Scientific Exa...

Mold exposure results in social security disability benefits

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In a landmark case a woman has been granted disability benefits for mold-related injuries. The Social Security Administration judge in the case accepted expert medical testimony that linked physical and cognitive injuries to mold exposures.

In February of 2007 the woman was temporarily sent to the U.S. Virgin Islands by her employer for a work assignment. The employer provided housing to the retail sales manager for her stay on the islands. The woman claimed that exposure to mold in the ...

Thermo fisher scientific facility in cambridge named 2009 IMecheE business innovation award finalist for its iCAP ICP

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:16:13 GMT

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that its Cambridge facility earned honors as an IMechE Business Innovation of the Year finalist for its Thermo Scientific iCAP 6000 Series ICP emission spectrometer. A category of the National Business Awards, the IMechE Business Innovation of the Year award honors organizations that best demonstrate a proven ability to create, nurture and develop innovations or processes that substantially improve the comm...

New partnership to help water management in Slovakia

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:50:44 GMT

Intellitect Water (UK) is delighted to announce a new distribution partnership with ECO Monitoring in Slovakia for its Intellisonde� in-pipe water quality monitors. Intellisondes� represent a revolution in clean water management, providing visibility of water quality data within the distribution network.

Developed to continuously monitor in-pipe drinking water, the Intellisonde� is a small water quality monitor that can be inserted into pressurised pipes to monitor up to 12 parameters.

...

Toxic emissions, they’re in the water

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After decades of hammering on corporations to reduce their toxic air emissions, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now focusing on another source of nasty pollution, corporate water emissions. Although the Clean Water Act has technically been in place for well over three decades, the EPA has been lax in enforcing regulations, often due to thinly-stretched resources.

Coal-fired power plants are responsible for an overwhelming portion of the arsenic, lead, cadmium, and other toxic...

Don`t touch! The shaft is turning

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Total solutions for non-contact torque measurement from Sensor Technology. The RWT310/320 series of TorqSense Rotary Torque Sensors is now available in a full range of sizes from 1Nm to 10,000Nm, so can be applied to virtually any size of system where precise yet simple torque monitoring is required. And these are complemented by TorqView, a software programme that generates a virtual instrumentation display of the output from a TorqSense transducer that can be run on any computer.

To...

Exposure to soot particles may increase premature death rates

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

An extended epidemiological analysis was recently released by the nonprofit Health Effects Institute. The analysis was conducted by scientists at the University of Ottawa for the institute which was created by the Environmental Protection Agency and the industries it regulates to create unbiased studies.

The scientists reviewed existing studies with links between soot particles and premature deaths related to cardiovascular diseases. The findings showed that the mortality rate for those p...

Thames Valley Housing Association chooses 1st Touch Mobile Technology to speed inspection times

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Thames Valley Housing Association has chosen 1st Touch mobile technology for inspection operatives visiting its housing sites. The mobile solution, which replaces a paper based system, combines back office management with the latest PDA technology. Inspection reports can now be submitted on site electronically, saving considerable time and raising efficiency levels.

Established in 1966, Thames Valley Housing Association is a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) and is registered with both the...

Columbia Analytical - Kelso awarded DoD-ELAP Certificate of Accreditation

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Columbia Analytical�s Kelso laboratory has met the requirements of the Department of Defense (DoD) Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) and has been awarded a certificate of accreditation.

Kelso�s assessment was completed by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board/ACLASS of Alexandria, Virginia. The full scope of accreditation, including the list of analytes to which this accreditation applies, may be found on Columbia Analytical�s Kelso certification webpage: