News

The measurement of total arsenic concentrations is generally adequate for environmental compliance monitoring, but knowledge of discrete inorganic and organic arsenic species concentrations is crucial to understanding true toxicity and health risks to humans and aquatic or terrestrial organisms. Humans are exposed to arsenic in many ways, including occupational exposure (e.g. smelting, mining), drinking water, and food sources, but the toxicity of different arsenic species and sources varies greatly. Read More

Selenium (Se) is an essential nutrient for humans and many microorganisms, as a component of selenoproteins such as selenocysteine (the 21st amino acid) and selenomethionine. The recommended dietary allowance for selenium is 55 μg/day, but excessive levels can cause human health problems (selenosis). Read More

At ALS we know that optimizing time spent in the field is important to our clients, as is the reduction of manual handling.  Read More

Failing to evaluate the market for certification service providers could be a costly mistake for your company, causing you to spend too much for certification while getting inadequate service. Read More

New benefits to the efficiency of soil-gas sample collection for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by the Thermal Desorption (TD) method have become possible through recent validated innovations.  Read More

ALS Environmental has made significant advances in sample size reduction, leading the industry towards safer and more sustainable practices. Lower water sample volume requirements can significantly reduce sampling times; and smaller, lighter coolers reduce the risk of strain injuries in the field. Read More

Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) forms when sulfide-bearing materials are exposed to oxidizing conditions. Potential sulfide-bearing materials include waste rock overburden, processed ore (tailings) as well as exposed rock from either an open pit or underground mine. Sulfide minerals such as pyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite in mine waste material can react with water and oxygen to produce sulfuric acid, which may in turn leach metals from the same material and introduce them into the environment at potentially high concentrations.  Read More

As most of our Canadian clients are aware, ALS has led a strategic review of sample bottle sizes over the last two years. The feedback from clients has been extremely positive. With new smaller sample containers now fully rolled out, this now allows further change as part of our initiative. Aligning with the ALS core value of Safety as a Priority, phase two will now see ALS Canada reducing the size of the sample coolers that we will be supplying to clients using ALS custom made coolers. Read More

In order to adequately certify water system components to ANSI/ NSF Standard 61, it is best to utilize a certifier accredited through The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). By “leveling the playing field” through a standardization of accreditation, quality control issues are no longer a driving force for specifiers and regulators, and their focus for selecting a third-party certifier can be based on those that best align with their service requirements and price point. Product certifications by ANSI/SCC accredited certifiers are required to be equally accepted by regulators, specifiers and manufacturers.  Read More

A leachate is a liquid (normally water) that, when contacting or passing through soil, waste, or other materials, will dissolve or incorporate soluble substances from those materials. In the context of environmental monitoring and waste management, leachate most commonly refers to drainage from a landfill or stockpile.  Read More