Services

Consultation services 

We provide advice on sampling media, methods, and may assist in efforts to identify possible exposure hazards in chemical or industrial processes. We consult on issues linked to Data Validation, Quality Control, and Traceability. Testing samples to determine chemical exposure is a regular part of our work, but we do not collect field samples.  Employers desiring a workplace assessment should contact the Field Research and Consultation Group at frcg@uw.edu 

Workers seeking a health assessment should refer to the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic web page. 

TOAC will take on projects that require method development, experimental design, and analytical chemistry based on fitness of scope, capabilities, and capacity.   

Analytical services

Compressed breathing air analysis for Washington employers, primarily fire districts, agencies, and diving contractors 

Method development and validation for new chemical hazards 

NIOSH and OSHA analyses in support of industrial hygiene consultations 

Chemical analysis of non-routine samples for industrial hygiene or occupational medicine assessments 

Materials testing to determine exposure sources 

Analyzing our daily exposure to toxic chemicals 

“I have relied on the Environmental Health Laboratory throughout every stage of my career, from graduate training to postdoctoral work and now as faculty. The team offers thoughtful guidance on routine analyses as well as on method development and new approaches that push the boundaries of what we can do.”

~Diana Ceballos, DEOHS assistant professor.

A primary focus of several EHL/TOAC projects is exposure to plasticizers like phthalates or bisphenol A (BPA) as their impact on reproductive and environmental health is an increasingly important research topic. 

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and other plasticizers (e.g. phthalates) has increasingly become a topic of discussion in reproductive and environmental health^1,2. Targeting these compounds by HPLC-MS/MS (LC-3Q) has been a primary focus of several EHL/TOAC projects over the past two decades. In certain cases, both organic and inorganic biomarkers are quantified³.  

¹Sathyanarayana, S., Focareta, J., Dailey, T., & Susan Buchanan. Environmental exposures: how to counsel preconception and prenatal patients in the clinical setting, American J Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2012 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2012.02.004   

²McKinney, C., Leroux, B., Seminario, L.A., Kim, A., Liu., Z., Samy, S., S. Sathyanarayana. A prospective cohort study of bisphenol A exposure from dental treatment. J. of Dental Research, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034520934725  

³ Reznikov, R.A., Melough, M.M., Lee, D.Y., Suskind, D.L., Samy, S., Macdonald, J., Bammler, T.K., & Sheela Sathyanarayana. Reverse-engineered exclusive enteral nutrition as induction therapy in pediatric Crohn’s disease: Effects on environmental toxin exposure, Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2025.115773  

See other collaborations! (link coming soon)

Instrument use 

The laboratory consists of five fully equipped rooms housing a wide range of analytical chemistry instrumentation including: LC-MS/MS (3Q), GC-MS/MS (3Q), ICP-MS, FTIR, XRF and XRD. This includes space and equipment for sample preparation, a dedicated laboratory for trace metals analysis, and dedicated biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) space for preparation of human samples for chemical analysis. 

Instruments are available to investigators who are either knowledgeable in their operation or have been trained by the TOAC staff. Charges are based on an hourly instrument rate. In addition, TOAC staff can operate the instrumentation with charges based on an hourly personnel rate. Clients are responsible for providing their own consumable materials (e.g., columns, solvents and vials), though other arrangements are possible. The facility also has some GC and HPLC chromatography columns available for trial use assuming the work does not damage them. 

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