QCC Sets Up Environmental Laboratory in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - MENA Herald: Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) launched an environmental laboratory in Abu Dhabi within the Central Testing Lab (CTL) facility to offer sample testing and analysis services in a bid to reduce the impact of harmful substances and pollutants on the environment and public health in the emirate.
Operated by qualified Emirati professionals, the new laboratory provides services for products that require testing for conformance with specifications and relevant standards.
Fitted-out with the latest laboratory equipment and technology, the environmental lab’s current analytical capabilities include the assessment of physical pollutants, organic pollutants such as PCBs, total petroleum hydrocarbons and oil and grease, inorganic pollutants such as heavy metals - lead, zinc, mercury, arsenic, and chromium – as well as microbial contaminants like coliform and fecal coliform, among others.
Going forward, the lab will offer marine water quality testing and set up baseline data for marine, air and terrestrial environments with complete technical know-how. In addition, it will serve as a technical hub for environmental researchers and university students in Abu Dhabi.
Mohammed Helal Al Balooshi, Marketing & Communications Acting Director at Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), said: “QCC’s initiative to launch the environmental lab articulates our sustained efforts to develop the services offered by CTL as well as build a world-class testing infrastructure in Abu Dhabi by offering a wide range of testing services that integrate the latest tools and advanced equipment. These efforts aim to ensure the continued compliance of products traded in the Abu Dhabi markets to international standards, while mitigating the hazardous effects of pollution and increased construction and manufacturing activities on both the environment and human health. In building advanced testing facilities and laboratories equipped with the cutting-edge technology, QCC seeks to consistently meet the testing requirements of different sectors in Abu Dhabi."
Al Balooshi added: “At QCC, our focus is now on catering to the current requirements of government and non-government entities by establishing analytical capabilities for most pollutants. In the short-term, we will start providing technical assistance to help our clients with emergency response, and create an electronically accessible database that will provide clients with key analytical data and facts at the click of a button. This will eventually enhance the efficiency of production and manufacturing in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council was established in 2009 to raise the quality of the emirate’s exports and locally traded products, while protecting the interests of consumers and supporting the UAE’s competitive economy. This is achieved through empowering regulators to establish and implement product safety, legal metrology and conformity schemes. QCC also sets guidelines and benchmarks to identify and verify that the products manufactured and traded in Abu Dhabi conform to the highest quality standards.