Laboratory Services
MEA’s laboratory has been serving the environmental testing needs of private sector clients, as well as government entities, for over 20 years. As one of the first laboratories in the State of Pennsylvania to obtain state accreditations. MEA continues to deliver the highest quality laboratory testing services available to the regulated community. We have an established history of generating high quality data delivered on time in an approved report format and in full compliance with various regulatory requirements. We are accredited in US EPA Methods 8260B (volatile organics/GRO), 524.2 (Drinking Water) and 524.3 (1,2-dibromoethane analysis for aqueous samples).
MEA’s laboratory specializes in gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analytical techniques as determinative methods for volatile organics by US EPA Methods for all regulated organic compounds related to petroleum
contamination. GC/MS is the analytical technique of choice for these target analytes due to the high degree of specificity in terms of identification, as well as quantitative analysis, and required reporting limits. While we provide a full range of analytical testing services, our laboratory is specialized in the testing parameters associated with petroleum fuel releases into the subsurface soil and groundwater.
Laboratory chemists utilize the separation technologies of gas chromatography and the highly selective techniques of electron impact ionization to obtain mass spectra of individual organic compounds in order to fingerprint a fuel source. These fingerprints, or unique chemical signatures, serve as critical pieces of forensic data leading to the identification of pollution sources. This data is also instrumental in helping with the characterization of migration pathways in the subsurface. MEA’s analytical scientists can also use chromatographic profiles obtained from environmental samples to estimate the time of a fuel release.