NELAC and INELA combine operations
NELAC and INELA combine operations
Environmental NEWS - Fall 2006
NELAC and INELA combine operations
The National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) and the Institute for National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation (INELA) have merged to form The NELAC Institute (TNI). The purpose of the organization is to foster the generation of environmental data of known and documented quality through an open, inclusive, and transparent process that is responsive to the needs of the community.
On November 6, 2006, a giant step towards achieving a long-term goal of the environmental laboratory and monitoring communities to have a national accreditation program was realized. After years of an evolving program under the auspices of NELAC and INELA, the respective Boards of Directors, following months of hard work, formed TNI.
Lancaster Laboratories, like many other environmental testing facilities, holds accreditations based on the standards developed by NELAC. Much of the testing performed to comply with federal, state, and local environmental statutes requires an accreditation to NELAC or similar standards, and many users of environmental laboratory services have included accreditation to NELAC standards in their quality requirements. Although it’s uncertain how these changes will affect existing programs, Lancaster Labs is working to minimize their impact on clients by actively participating in conferences where discussion and decisions involving the transition process occur. Please call your client services representative at (717) 656-2300 for more information about accreditation at Lancaster Laboratories.