Have you ever reviewed a laboratory report and felt overwhelmed by acronyms like MDL, RL, LOQ, or IDL? You’re not alone. These terms are critical to understanding the sensitivity, precision, and reliability of laboratory results in environmental testing—but they can also be confusing, especially when used interchangeably or inconsistently across different labs or agencies.
The U.S. EPA released a Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS, open for public comment. The public comment for the draft, released in January 2025, has been extended until August 14, 2025. This draft risk assessment reflects the EPA's latest scientific understanding of the potential risks to human health
To all of our friends and partners in California impacted by the devastating wildfires, Merit Laboratories is here to support you. When wildfires ravage communities, natural landscape, and places we call home, the impact is major. Lives are interrupted while homes, schools, and businesses are destroyed. Another significant impact of wildfires is environmental contamination.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to address the growing concerns over PFAS by adding nine new compounds to the Toxics Release Inventory. This move aims to improve transparency and provide better data on the presence and release of these persistent chemicals in the environment.
The analysis of PFAS by EPA 1633A and ASTM D8421 is part of the U.S. EPA’s Methods Update Rule (MUR) Rule 22. The action will promulgate EPA into 40 CFR Part 136. Also part of this action, PFAS method ASTM D8421 is proposed to be codified.
The U.S. EPA released a Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS, open for public comment. The public comment for the draft, released in January 2025, has been extended until August 14, 2025. This draft risk assessment reflects the EPA's latest scientific understanding of the potential risks to human health
The PFAS reporting period under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been extended six months. The U.S EPA announced direct final and parallel proposed rules that delay the reporting period for the new TSCA PFAS requirement. Previously scheduled to begin the reporting period on November 12, 2024, the beginning of the reporting period is now delayed until July 2025.
The U.S. Army is joining forces with the U.S. EPA to target a new enemy: PFAS contamination in drinking water. The joint EPA-Army program announced in July will be focused on the sample collection and laboratory testing of private drinking water wells near nine army installations for PFAS. The program will be focused on identifying the potential impact of PFAS migration from installations to contaminate drinking water wells of nearby residents.
The U.S. EPA recently finalized a rule that will provide the largest-ever dataset of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) manufactured and used in the United States. The finalized reporting rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is a statutory requirement with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA - FY2020).
Chemours Company is the recipient of the U.S. EPA’s first-ever enforcement action for PFAS discharges with the Clean Water Act (CWA). The EPA is ordering Chemours Company to take corrective measures to address pollution from PFAS in stormwater and effluent discharges for a facility near Parkersburg, West Virginia. The EPA stated that discharge levels of PFAS exceed the levels established in the facility’s CWA permit. In an administrative compliance order on consent (AOC) issued by the agency…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched interactive PFAS Analytic Tools to integrate data about PFAS reporting, testing, and occurrences in communities, making it easier to evaluate the collective PFAS information from nearly a dozen different databases that include relevant information.
The U.S. EPA officially approved Merit Laboratories to perform analytical laboratory testing for PFAS compounds as part of the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UMCR5). As part of UCMR5, Merit Laboratories is approved for analytical methods EPA 533 and EPA 537.1. UCMR 5 includes all 29 PFAS compounds that are within the scope of EPA Methods 533 and 537.1.
