Arkansas Department of Health & Human Services
Division of Health
Center for Local Public Health - Environmental Health Branch - Engineering Section

Public Health Laboratories:

Breakdown by Labs and Tests

Click here for Drinking Water Laboratory staff information & E-mail addresses

Organic Chemistry Laboratory:

• Serves Agency programs: Division of Engineering, Division of Environmental Health Protection, and Division of Epidemiology.
• Primarily conducts analyses of drinking water for compliance with SDWA.
• Analyses conducted are primarily the following:

EPA Method 508 for organo-chlorinated compounds (minimum of 13 compounds)

EPA Method 508A for PCBs (one compound)

EPA Method 502.1 for trihalomethanes (minimum of four compounds)

EPA Method 502.2 for volatile organic compounds (minimum of 60 compounds)

EPA Method 504 for ethlyene dibromide and dibromochloropropane (two compounds)

EPA Method 547 for glyphosate (one compound)

EPA Method 525 for polycylicaromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate acid esters, and adipate acid esters (minimum of 23 compounds)

EPA Method 507 for organonitrogen compounds (minimum of 6 compounds)

EPA Method 531.1 for carbamates (minimum of 10 compounds)

EPA Method 548.1 for endothall (one compound)

EPA Method 549.1 for diquat and paraquat (two compounds)

EPA Method 524 for volatile organic compounds (minimum of 60 compounds)

Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory:

• Serves Agency programs: Division of Engineering, Division of Environmental Health Protection, Division of Epidemiology, and Division of Dental Health, and also serves the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers.
• Primarily conducts analyses of drinking water for compliance with SDWA and with fluoridation standards set by Division of Dental Health..
• Analytical tests performed are primarily the following

Alkalinity

pH

Conductivity

Hardness (total, carbonate, and noncarbonate)

Total filterable residue

Turbidity

Sediment

Odor

Color

Metals (aluminum, barium, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, mercury, selenium, silver, zinc, beryllium, arsenic, antimony, nickel, thallium, sodium, potassium, calcium, chromium)

Nonmetals (sulfate, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, chloride, cyanide, bromide, and orthophosphate, borate, chlorate, chlorite, silica)

Calculation of Corrosion Indices (Langlier, Ryznar, and Aggressive)

Radiochemistry Laboratory:

• Supports Agency programs: Division of Engineering and Division of Radiation Control)
• Conducts analysis of water in support of SDWA.
• Conducts analysis of water, milk, fish, soil, vegetation, and air for Division of Radiation Control's monitoring of Arkansas Nuclear One.
• Conducts wipe tests in support of Division of Radiation Control's monitoring of radioactive sources used by medical community, analytical community, etc.
• Testing is primarily:

Water for alpha and beta, radium 226 and 228, gamma isotopic, tritium, and Iodide-131.

Milk for Iodide-131 and gamma isotopic.

Fiber filters for alpha and beta, and gamma isotopic

Wipe tests for alpha and beta, gamma isotopic, low energy beta, and tritium

Fish, food, and sediment for gamma isotopic.

Food Chemistry Laboratory:

• Serves Agency program: Division of Environmental Health Protection
• Tests food for:

Filth (insects, feces, glass, etc.)

Preservatives (nitrate, nitrite, sulfite)

Additives (cereal, food dyes, coumarin, ethanol

pH

Sugar profile (beverages, molasses, honey)

Aflatoxin M-1 (milk)

Proximate (protein, fat, moisture, salt)

Speciation (beef, deer, chicken)

Food Bacteriology Laboratory:

• Supports Agency programs: Division of Epidemiology and Division of Environmental Health Protection
• Type of specimens are for surveillance, poisoning, consumer complaints.
• Conducts the following tests primarily in foods:

Aerobic plate counts

Anaerobic plate counts

Total and fecal coliform

E. coli

E. coli 0157:H7

Salmonella

Shigella

Yersina

Listeria Clostridium perfringens

Bacillus cereus

Vibrio parahemolyticus

Mold count

Yeast count

pH

Fecal Strep. Count

Staph. Toxin

Milk Bacteriology Laboratory:

• Supports the Agency programs: Grade A Milk Program and Food Protection which is in the Division of Environmental Health Protection
• Performs analyses of Grade A Milk products and counter freezer samples.
• Conducts a certification program of milk industry labs and lab supervisory personnel for the analyses of antibiotics in Grade A milk.
• Performs the following tests:

Cryscope

Plate Loop Count

Standard Plate Count

Direct Microscopic Somatic Cell Count

Optical Somatic Cell Count

Coliform count

Coliform confirmation

Coliform most probable number

Phosphatase

Butter fats

Solids not fat

Inhibitors (antibiotics) and inhibitory confirmation

Water Microbiology Laboratory:

• Supports Agency programs: Division of Engineers, Division of Environmental Health Protection. Also conducts analyses for private citizens (fee basis: $10/sample).
• Tests performed on public and private drinking water

Total Coliform

Fecal Coliform

• Tests performed on water from swimming beaches:

Total Coliform

Fecal Coliform

• Test performed on water from swimming pools:

Total Coliform

• Tests performed on well water from selected public water systems:

Microscopic particulate analysis

Immunology Laboratory:

• Supports Agency programs: Division of Epidemiology (virology and non-syphilis serology), Division of Perinatal Health (immunohematology) and Division of Aids/STD (HIV and syphilis serology)
• Conducts the following tests

Direct Fluorescent antibody for rabies (virology)

Typing and Screen for hemolytic disease of newborn (immunohematology)

Enzyme Immuno-assay (EIA) for HIV

Western blot for HIV confirmation

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for HIV confirmation

VDRL for syphilis serology

ELISA for Hepatitis B

Indirect Fluorescent Antibody for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Complement fixation for mumps

Complement fixation for measles

Complement fixation for fungal serology (Histo, Blasto, and Cocci)

Genetics Laboratory:

• Provides support to the Division of Perinatal Health
• Performs test for:

PKU

Hypothyroidism (T4 and TSH)

Hemoglobinopathies (sickle cell and its variants, about 240)

Clinical Chemistry Laboratory:

• Supports the Agency's TB program and Maternal Child Health program.
• Performs the following tests

Liver function tests (ALP, AST, Total Bilirubin, Uric Acid, Creatinine, BUN)

Blood glucose (whole panel to screen for glucose intolerance and gestational diabetes)

Blood Lead Laboratory:

• Supports the Agencies' Maternal Child Health Program by screening and confirming blood lead concentrations in children up to six years of age.
• Performs the following test

Blood lead determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS)

Drug Analysis Laboratory:

• Support the Agency's Division of Pharmacy Services and Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse (S.T.E.P).
• Tests priority case samples and drug surrender samples by:

EIA

TLC

UV/Vis

GC/MS

Clinical Microbiology Laboratory:

• Supports Agency's STD program and Division of Epidemiology
• Serves as diagnostic and reference center for hospitals for identification and typing of microorganisms
• Performs tests for gonorrhea

DNA probe (cervical and urethral specimens)

Cultures (rectals and throat specimens)

Sensitivities (to penicillin's)

• Performs tests in area of enteric bacteriology on feces and reference cultures for:

Salmonella

Shigella

Campylobacter

E. coli 0157:H7

Yersinia

Clostridium perfringes

Staphylococcus

• Performs tests in area of parasitology (eggs and trophozoites are examined by concentration and trichrome stain) for:

Giardia lamblia

Dientamoeba fraglis

Entamoeba histolytica

Cryptosporidium

Malaria and Filial parasites (in blood smears)

Oscars

Pinworm

Ectoparasites (spiders, ticks, and fleas)

TB Laboratory:

• Serves the Agency's TB program
• TB tests performed are:

• Smear (fluorochrome) screens for acid fast bacilli

  Kinyoun confirms acid fast bacilli

  BacTec (radiometric liquid culture) to culture for mycobacterium

  Lowenstein-Jensen (solid culture) to culture for mycobacterium

  DNA probes for identification of mycobacterium according to species

  HPLC for identification of mycobacterium according to species

  Biochemical testing for identifying mycobacterium

  Transcription Mediated Amplification for amplification of ribosomal RNA for identification of MTB

  Sensitivities on MTB isolates

Mycology Laboratory:

• Serves Agency's TB program
• Performs tests for identifying fungi (such as Histo, Blasto, Cocci, Crypto, Candida albicans etc.) by:

preparing culture

biochemical testing-