Laboratory Services

For 23 years, META’s  laboratory group provided routine and special testing services, rapid and on-site analyses, fate and transport studies, treatability studies, environmental forensic testing, and data validation.

In 2013, META’s laboratory operation was sold to Accutest Laboratories.  We have worked with Accutest diligently to transfer our methods, equipment, and quality control criteria to them.  We know the staff there and have confidence that they generate data equal to that of META’s former laboratory.  META has access and use of Accutest’s state-of-the-art facility in Marlborough, MA for hands-on implementation of special projects.

Also, META continues to provide project planning, environmental forensics data interpretation, consulting, and reporting.  META’s former laboratory clients have continued to order laboratory tests and specialty laboratory services through META.  Samples are analyzed at Accutest.  Data interpretation, reporting, project management, and billing are by META.  Sample custody, control, and reporting have been seamless to our clients.

With Accutest, META is now able to offer a full range of conventional laboratory services, international coverage, courier service, and greatly increased capacity.  In addition, we still maintain our niche as a specialty testing and applied R&D company.

• Environmental forensic testing of PAHs and alkylated PAHs (petrogenic and pyrogenic discrimination); PAH source allocation
• Petroleum fingerprinting and biomarker analysis, including gasoline and light refined product characterization (PIANO)
• PCB congeners and PCB source identification studies
• Microscale analytical methods development and application
• Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) of sediment pore water
• Compound-specific stable isotope analyses and evaluation for hydrocarbons and chlorinated compounds
• Bioavailability and degradation studies
• Transport and fate studies
• ISCO and other treatability studies
• Geochemistry assessment and natural attenuation studies
• Analytical method development
• Data validation and data usability assessment

META has earned a national reputation for excellence in many areas, including:

• Environmental forensic studies
• Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) and coal tar chemistry including: DNAPL and LNAPL composition, transport and fate assessment; cyanide complex chemistry and evaluation of other related waste by-products
• Petroleum chemistry including: gasoline and diesel composition; source differentiation; age of release estimation
• PCB, PCDD, and PCDF chemistry, sources, analytical methods, and environmental weathering
• Low-level PAH analyses in difficult matrices
• Background PAH sources and distributions
• Sediment characterization and assessment
• Wood-treating chemistry, fate and transport, including creosote, pentachlorophenol (PCP), CCA, and wood treating alternatives
• Remediation-based bench-scale treatability testing
• Porewater sampling and analysis, including SPME