The New Hampshire Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program provides accreditation to environmental laboratories in New Hampshire, as well as out of state, to ensure sufficiently accurate, precise, and consistent results of tests, analyses, and measurements.
New Hampshire Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, NH ELAP, is currently accrediting environmental laboratories according to the July 2003 edition of the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) Standards.
NH ELAP conducts On-Site Assessments of the laboratories, which are granted primary accreditation. Accreditation is based upon the results of the assessment and the results of the laboratory's participation in proficiency test studies.
Laboratories granted secondary accreditation by NH ELAP are assessed by other NELAP recognized accrediting authorities using the NELAC Standards. Secondary Accreditation is based upon the accreditation granted by the Primary Accrediting Authority.
The National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) is an organization sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a voluntary association of state and federal officials with private sector input. The purpose of the organization is to foster the generation of environmental laboratory data of a known and documented quality through the development of national performance standards for laboratories and other entities directly involved in the environmental field measurement and sampling process.
The objectives of NELAC include the development and improvement of standards used for qualifying a laboratory as an accredited laboratory, implementing a uniform national accreditation program, designating state and federal agencies as accrediting authorities, providing reciprocity among the NELAC accrediting authorities, and providing model language for uniform legislation and regulations. The NELAC standards also address the issues of assessor training, proficiency testing, oversight of accrediting authorities for uniform interpretation of the standards, and the use of third party assessors to carry out parts of the assessment functions.
On July 1, 1999, the New Hampshire Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NH ELAP) was formally recognized as a National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) accrediting authority. NH ELAP has the authority to require that all laboratories which it accredits to be in compliance with the NELAC standards. To be accredited, a laboratory must have a quality system in place that results in the generation of data of a known and documented quality.
NH ELAP offers primary and secondary accreditation for Potable Water (drinking water), Non-Potable Water, (wastewater and whole effluent toxicity testing), Non-Potable Water SW-846 and Solid and Chemical Materials SW-846 methods. View the most recent Fields of Accreditation (FOA) spreadsheet for further information.