ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
DIVISION
The Environmental Health Division monitors Iowa’s air, water and soil through analytical testing mandated by the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Environmental scientists test for contaminants of public health concern and respond to environmental and natural disasters, such as compromised water supplies due to chemical spills and flooding.

Industrial Hygiene and Asbestos

The Industrial Hygiene program performs occupational health testing for the Bureau of Labor to support the Iowa Department of Workforce Development and the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration programs (Iowa OSHA). Testing for these programs is performed in both the Ankeny and Coralville labs and consists of testing air filters for both inorganic and organic chemicals to assess occupational exposures to chemicals and fumes in the work place.

Asbestos testing is performed for businesses, state agencies and individuals. Materials that are frequently tested for asbestos include roofing, flooring and other items that were used in construction.

Major achievements:

  • Increased analytical capability by adding a new hexavalent Chromium (known human carcinogen) method using ion chromatography with post-column derivatization and UV detection that provides increased sensitivity or can detect hexavalent Chromium at lower levels.
  • Testing continues to increase for occupational exposure to metals (e.g. fumes, particulates, liquids, etc.).