Vinyl floor tiles

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Vinyl floor tiles are a type of flooring that in more modern times are not used as frequently and are usually hidden underneath carpets that have been laid over them.

These tiles can often contain asbestos and if you are in any doubt whether yours are asbestos containing or not and certainly before you rip them up you should get them tested for asbestos and any bitumen or adhesive used to adhere them as well.

It can also be the case that the tiles are not asbestos containing, but the adhesive used to adhere them to the floor is and should also be tested before pulling up the tiles or scraping the adhesive off.

Here at Envirochem, we can attend your property or site and take samples of tiles and other materials you are concerned with and test them at our own in-house UKAS accredited laboratory.

We even sell self-sampling kits to enable you to safely take samples of materials yourself and return them for us for testing.

For more information and to contact us please call on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below:

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What is Asbestos?

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What is Asbestos:

Asbestos is not one material as it is commonly mistaken for, but the term used for the fibrous forms of seven naturally occurring minerals.

In the United Kingdom, the three most common forms of asbestos are chrysotile (white), amosite (brown) and crocidolite (blue). They are found in common building materials such as insulation board panels, spray coating, bonded cements, gaskets, insulation, textured coatings, and vinyl flooring and more.

Why test for asbestos:

Exposure to asbestos can cause serious health implications, including Mesothelioma, Lung Cancer and Asbestosis.  Approximately 5000 workers still die per year from asbestos related illness.

Who should test:

Asbestos could be found in any building or construction built before 2000, this includes houses, schools, factories, hospitals and more.

Anyone who is involved in a trade such as demolition and those in the refurbishment, maintenance, and similar trades where it is foreseeable that your work will disturb the structure of the building, or even just individuals doing some DIY at home or work should check and get testing /surveying carried out before disturbing materials that could contain asbestos.

What we can offer:

Envirochem offers a competitive Asbestos Fibre Identification service returning results by email within 24 hours in most cases.

Samples can be delivered to our laboratory or collected by our analysts.

An Asbestos Fibre Identification certificate is produced for each batch of samples analysed, which is available most commonly in PDF format via email.

For more information please call on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below.

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Where is Lead found?

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Why is Lead in paint?

Lead was used in paint to help speed up the drying process but also for visual properties. It also increased the durability of paint once applied.

 

Why test for Lead in paint?

 

The body can absorb lead that is breathed in, such as in the form of dust or fumes and if you swallow anything containing lead.

Exposure can lead to changes in your blood which may cause anaemia and it can have effects on your nervous system and kidneys.

 

Who should test?

Those at the highest risk of exposure are those that carry out industrial processes such as blast/burning removal of lead paint, lead smelting and many more that create lead dust, vapour or fumes.

However, even individuals or contractors stripping lead paint from windows, doors and frames from homes and workplaces can lead to exposure.

 

What we can offer:

Envirochem can offer UKAS accredited Lead in paint analysis and we can attend site and sample for you or alternatively we offer self-sampling kits for you to sample yourself to send to us for analysis.

 

For more information please contact us on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below:

 

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We’re Expanding Our Occupational Hygiene Department!

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Here at Envirochem, we’re expanding our Occupational Hygiene Department and are pleased to welcome our new Head of Department Sam, along with a new Van to add to the fleet.

Within the department we can offer a wide range of sampling/analysis and consultation, including but not limited to:

  • Noise and Vibration Surveys – With our wide range of instrumentation we can gather analytical data concerning the impact of noise and vibration for demolition sites.

 

  • UKAS accredited sampling & analysis of total inhalable & respirable dusts – We are happy to undertake site visits, sampling and analysis, to meet the needs of our clients.

 

  • Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) testing – (LEV) checks help control the release of hazardous airborne substances from a process into the workplace environment.

 

  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) testing – The main aim of VOC analysis is to identify the types of VOCs present and their concentrations in work place environment.

 

  • Emissions testing for stack monitoring to technical guidance notes M1 and M2.

 

  • Air quality surveys.

 

For more information or to contact us please fill out the form below or call on 01329 287 777;

 

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Introducing our new Machine: Skalar Bluevision

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Here at Envirochem, we are always looking at new ways we can improve our services, reduce turnaround times and offer more testing and analysis options. We recently invested in a new Machine: Skalar Bluevision – Continuous Flow Analyser, that does just that! 

This machine allows us to process more samples without further staff and more quickly, allowing us to reduce our turnaround times and offer more testing options.

It can test one sample for 8 different tests, that we would have beforehand done as separate tests, this massively reduces the time it takes to process samples.

  • Ammonia
  • Chloride
  • Fluoride
  • Phenol
  • Sulphate
  • Phosphate
  • Nitrate+ Nitrite
  • Nitrite

 

For further information and enquires about testing please call on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below;

 

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We are investing in New Technology for Water Contamination Testing

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We currently provide scientific analysis services in our high tech laboratories in Broadcut in Fareham, testing for asbestos, lead in paint, air quality, and water-borne diseases such as legionella. We have now invested in equipment that will be able to detect minute contaminants in water.

 

The Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer from Shimadzu is used for ultra-low level detection of metals and semi-metals in groundwater, rivers, effluent and drinking water. It is capable of detecting less than one particle in one trillion.

 

This is a major investment in technology for the business and will put us right at the forefront of this sector in the south of England.

 

We already have an enviable reputation for the quality of our testing and analysis of all sorts of environmental and microbiological samples – all nationally accredited through the UK Accreditation Service. This investment takes us to the next level.

 

We will mainly be using this instrument for drinking water testing and it will enable us to test to the very highest standards of quality as determined by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

 

With the ICP-MS, we’ll be testing for metals such as lead, arsenic, antimony, mercury and cadmium in water samples for our clients.

 

The flame in the new equipment burns as hot as the surface of the sun – 6,000 degrees Centigrade – during the analysis process.

 

The ICP-MS equipment is being built in Japan and is expected to be delivered and commissioned in the our laboratory before the end of the year.

 

Lara Johnson from Shimadzu said: “We have been working with Envirochem since 2012, when the first total organic carbon analyser was purchased. We are delighted to be working together again, for the fourth time, on the delivery and installation of the new ICP-MS system.”

Water Testing Services

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Envirochem routinely carry out a variety of tests including: Recreational water, Drinking or Potable Water, Environmental Water, Waste or Effluent Water….

Testing  for coliform bacteria and E.coli are the most important routine microbiological analysis carried out on drinking water. These tests provide a sensitive means for detecting faecal contamination, for assessing raw water quality, the effectiveness of water treatment and disinfection, and monitoring water quality in distribution.

 

For this service and all our services please call on 01329 287 777 or  please fill out the form below;

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Our Microbiology Lab is fully accredited

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The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body for the United Kingdom. UKAS is recognised by government, to assess against internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.

Our Microbiology Lab is fully accredited.

Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of these evaluators.

For more information on our UKAS accredited services please call on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below;

 

 

Don’t be at risk

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Don’t get caught, have your Legionella under control with our routine UKAS Accredited analysis.

Check the latest article of legionnaires disease.

For all our Legionella and other Microbiological services please call on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below;

 

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Envirochem’s Microbiology Laboratory is now UKAS Accredited

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We are excited to announce that our Microbiology laboratory is now UKAS accredited.

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body for the United Kingdom. UKAS are recognised by the government to assess laboratories  against internationally agreed standards.  Organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services are assessed by UKAS.

An accreditation from UKAS acknowledges the competence, impartiality and performance capability of a laboratory.

For more information on our microbiology laboratory click here

To contact Envirochem you can fill in the form below

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