Jan 18, 2018
Part of BAL’s vision is to support better environmental, human health, and scientific decision-making in a workplace that honors your core values. We don’t just post this on the wall of the lobby, we live it every day and love what we do, who we work with, and where we call home. Whether you desire a career as a renowned analytical chemist, a rock-star project manager, a quality assurance guru, or a business development professional, BAL has great opportunities for both entry-level and experienced candidates. See our Careers page to find out more about how you can be a part of our amazing team.
Jan 18, 2018
Each holiday season, Brooks Applied Labs collects food for a local food drive. This year our office provided 120 pounds of food for hungry families in a rural part of our region. A big thank you to Jen Wallawine (BAL’s Inventory Management Specialist) and her husband for coordinating the donation bins and delivering everything to the Sultan Food Bank.
Dec 20, 2017
From all of us at Brooks Applied Labs
As we look back on the many wonderful memories from 2017, we are reminded of
how much we have to be thankful for. Brooks Applied Labs is blessed with amazing
clients and colleagues, a growing business, and a brilliant and dedicated staff.
Thank you.
Warmest wishes for the holiday season,
Brooks Applied Labs
Dec 13, 2017
In December 2017, The New York Times (and featured in the February 2018 ACIL Industry Insights (American Council of Independent Laboratories)) highlighted an important study by Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) which explored the topic, “Should You Be Worried About the Arsenic in Your Baby Food?” In both the article and in the associated HBBF report (found here), Brooks Applied Labs was named as the analytical laboratory partner that provided the testing services for total arsenic and arsenic speciation in a broad variety of baby foods. From the HBBF report, “We commissioned a nationally recognized laboratory with expertise in arsenic analysis, Brooks Applied Labs (BAL) near Seattle, Washington (https://brooksapplied.com/), to test for arsenic in the 105 cereal containers included in this study…BAL specializes in low-level metal analysis, including arsenic analysis in food. It has tested a wide range of cereals and grains. Its sensitive methods can detect arsenic in a wide range of infant cereal types, including non-rice varieties with low arsenic amounts.”
Brooks Applied Labs is honored to be part of such an important study that will undoubtedly have a direct impact on the future of infant nutritional safety and possible future FDA regulation in this area.
Visit our Food, Beverages & Supplements page to learn more.
Nov 16, 2017
BAL Road Warriors Are Not Done Yet: NWEC and POWER-GEN International
Elizabeth Madonick and Ben Wozniak will be heading down to Portland, OR on Dec. 5-6 to attend the Northwest Environmental Conference. As the region’s largest environmental conference and trade show, NWEC is the “go-to” event for environmental professionals in the Pacific Northwest. Contact us if you will be attending and would like to meet up with Elizabeth and Ben!
That same week, you can find Jamie Fox and Russ Gerads in Las Vegas for the massive POWER-GEN International conference. Billed as the “World’s Largest Power Generation Event,” this conference provides comprehensive coverage of the trends, technologies, and issues facing the power generation sector. Jamie will be speaking on Dec. 6 in the Emissions Control I track on The Role of Selenium Speciation Analysis for Compliance to Aquatic Life Criterion. If you would like a copy of this presentation once it’s available, you can request it here. And of course, if you will be attending the conference, please come find us at the talk and say hello!
Nov 16, 2017
At Brooks Applied Labs, we are proud of our cultural diversity and the varied ethnic backgrounds of our employees. We believe that an inclusive work culture that embraces our differences is one of the keys to our success. And what better way to celebrate our diversity than with food! November 7th marked the 3rd Annual BAL International Potluck, where employees brought dishes from or inspired by their culture or heritage. The delicious dishes included Japchae from Korea, Swedish cinnamon rolls, German pot roast, Southwestern chili, a Maryland shrimp boil, and even British-inspired salt-and-vinegar potato chips. Already looking forward to next year’s potluck!
Oct 19, 2017
Just in time for Halloween, scientists from BAL recently contributed to a new paper evaluating the risk of using metal-containing costume cosmetics. The article, published in the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology and co-authored by BAL’s Elizabeth Madonick, estimated exposure to As, Co, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Sb via incidental ingestion and dermal uptake. Within the limited scope of this study, the results suggest that intermittent use of costume cosmetics does not pose an unnecessary health risk to consumers, but if you plan on trick-or-treating year-round, your exposure may exceed guidance values. Have a fun and safe Halloween everyone!
Oct 19, 2017
Contamination from trace metals, such as arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in soils, can lead to potential health risks from inhalation and ingestion of the soil or vegetables grown in the soil. While it is well known that different molecular forms of As and Pb have different toxicological effects, the correlation between elemental species in the soil and the bioaccessibility of the metals from that soil has not been well established. For instance, tetraethyllead was historically added to gasoline, while lead chromate, lead oxide, and lead carbonate were common pigments added to paint. All of these compounds could be present in contaminated soil and each has a different degree of bioaccessibility.
Typical risk assessment models assume that 60 to 100% of contaminant metals in a soil sample are bioaccessible; however, these assumptions can result in incorrect health risk assessments and unnecessarily high remediation costs because it has been demonstrated that actual bioaccessibility can range from 0 to 100%. In vivo animal studies are often used to determine bioaccessibility, which are expensive and time consuming. The demand for reliable and affordable methods to improve the accuracy of risk assessments and assist regulators in making responsible remedial decisions, while still protecting human health, has been growing in recent years. This demand is being met with methods such as EPA Method 1340 “In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay for Lead in Soil”. This method was validated for Pb-contaminated soil under field conditions and released in February 2017.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) worked with The Ohio State University to develop an in vitro method for As bioaccessibility. The California Arsenic Bioaccessibility (CAB) Method was validated against the swine method, which is historically the most commonly used animal model for evaluating site-specific arsenic toxicity. The CAB Method has been approved for use in evaluating site-specific relative bioavailability of As in contaminated soils in the State of California as outlined by DTSC’s Human Health Risk Assessment Note 6.
Understanding the details of these methods and the appropriate applicability for each is part of the expert customer service you can expect from Brooks Applied Labs. Please feel free to contact us to discuss how your project might benefit from analyses for bioaccessible metals.
Oct 19, 2017
Brooks Applied Labs’ scientists, Ben Wozniak and Russell Gerads, recently presented at the AOAC Annual Meeting and Northwest Remediation Conference, respectively. The focus of their presentations was on arsenic chemistry in consumptive products and in the environment. Their presentations are now available for download:
As scientists, we understand the relationship between contaminants in the environment and our food. However, without understanding not just the chemistry of arsenic, but also how it is mobilized in the environment and metabolized by organisms, the road to generating quantitative results can be perilous. These recent presentations by BAL scientists are another testament to our approach to ethics in business and our desire to foster scientific growth in fields that directly impact the world around us. Partnering with BAL goes beyond selecting a laboratory, as we are most often perceived as a valuable teammate called upon to solve the most challenging problems. Feel free to contact one of our representatives to find out how we can help you.
Oct 19, 2017
The International Water Conference (IWC) is the world’s premier conference for understanding and dealing with the technical and business challenges of industrial water treatment, presenting the latest in scientific advances and practical applications at its 5-day conference held in Orlando November 12-16, 2017. On November 13th, BAL’s Jamie Fox will be moderating the discussion portion of the session Advances in On-Line Monitoring Methods for Boiler Water and FGD Wastewater. BAL has extensive experience and expertise in resolving complex wastewater interferences to ensure accurate quantification and speciation of trace metals in this matrix. To learn more, visit our Industrial Wastewater page on our website.
The theme of this year’s SETAC North America Annual Meeting, Toward a Superior Future: Advancing Science for a Sustainable Environment, aligns well with BAL’s vision statement. Following our tradition of presenting good science at national and international conferences, BAL staff will be presenting two posters at this conference held November 12-16 in Minneapolis: Elizabeth Madonick will present Arsenic Speciation in Soils and Sediments: How Data Quality Objectives Determine Most Appropriate Method Selection, and Brian Smith will present Method Comparison for Bioaccessible Lead and Arsenic in Soils. Contact us any time after November 13th if you would like to receive a PDF copy of these posters.
