Other Laboratory services
The range of work undertaken by the Government Laboratory is not limited to the categories and descriptions detailed in the other pages of this website, with some other notable areas of activity described below.
In general we are able to assist with the investigation of a variety of problems where scientific evaluation and in particular chemical analysis or microbiological examination are appropriate, however the reality of limited finite resources can limit our ability to meet demands outside our normal scope, and careful planning is needed to achieve the most that we can.
Ancient artefacts
An occasional, and at times technically challenging, request for assistance is the testing of ancient artefacts, for example to identify the type of metal alloy from which something was made.
Scientific advice
We are able to provide scientific advice within many of the areas of work outlined in this website, however our expertise is not necessarily limited to the same scope. With a variety of scientific backgrounds on which to draw we can often help with other matters, provide a neutral assessment of data from other sources, or translate scientific jargon into lay terms.
Waste
A regular area of work for the Government Laboratory is associated with waste and waste disposal, in particular the following:
- Gas monitoring at landfill waste sites, particularly methane and carbon dioxide levels in boreholes
- Monitoring of borehole water and leachate from landfill waste sites
- Testing of effluents for compliance with discharge consents
- Analysis of unknown materials
Water other than drinking, bathing, marine and river
We test virtually all types of water, those not falling into other categories include:
- bacteriological quality of non-domestic non-potable water supplies
- checking the purity of ultrapure water used for kidney dialysis
- assistance with the Investigation of water supply problems such as blue water
- legionella in applicable water systems
- identification of the probable source of water seeping into basements etc (sewage, mains or groundwater etc)
