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Lab |
For more information, contact:
Steve McGrath
406.496.4767 (tel)
406.496.4451
(fax)
The laboratory conducts analytical method development and sample analysis in support of research and is licensed by the State of Montana to analyze public water supplies.
The inorganic section of the laboratory routinely determines major cations, anions, trace metals, selected isotopes, alkalinity, pH and radon.
The organic section is currently focused on determining acidic compounds, polynuclear aromatic compounds and extractable petroleum hydrocarbons in waters and soils. Because of recent studies suggesting that hormones and antibiotics are contaminating groundwater, the laboratory capability has expanded to screening for a selected suite of these Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) in waters. All organic compounds are isolated with solid phase extraction (SPE). Low level acidic compounds are derivatized as the pentafluorobenzylbromo ether (phenols) or ester (acids) for detection by electron capture. EDCs are determined by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA).
Analytical Laboratory Services
The lab's QA/QC program meets the criteria established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). All data on ground waters are reported in the GWIC database.
The laboratory welcomes requests for research in geochemistry and environmental chemistry. Available instrumentation includes:
- Thermo iCAP inductively coupled argon plasma emission spectrophotometer (ICAPES),
- Thermo X-Series® inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometer (ICP/MS) for trace-metal determination,
- Dionex ion chromatographs for anion determination,
- Agilent gas chromatograph with mass spectrometer detector (GC/MS) for organic compounds,
- Agilent gas chromatograph with electron capture detector (ECD) for low level pesticide and chlorinated compounds in water and soil,
- ELISA testing in magnetic particle and 96 well plate formats or determining endocrine disrupting compounds in surface and ground waters, and
- Beckman scintillation counter for determination of radon in water.
Analytical Laboratory Projects
All MBMG projects requiring analytical chemistry services.
