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Director's Overview
Office of the Director
GenomicsHuman ResourcesInformation and TechnologyIowa Laboratory Appraisal Program - CLIAOrganizational DevelopmentPublic PolicyResearch and DevelopmentStrategic Communications
Year at a Glance
Administration and Finance
Financial ManagementCentral Accessioning and ReceivingCentral ServicesEducation and OutreachFacilitiesGlasswareGrants and ContractsMedia / Reagent LabSafety and Security
Disease Control Division
Environmental MicrobiologyMaternal Prenatal ScreeningMicrobiologyMolecular DiagnosticsNewborn ScreeningSerology
Environmental Health Division
Ambient Air QualityBlood LeadEmergency PreparednessFERN Chemistry CAPGas Chromatography AnalysisIndustrial Hygiene and AsbestosInorganic ChemistryIowa Lakeside Laboratory -
Regents Resource CenterLimnologyLiquid ChromatographyRadiochemistryRadiological Emergency Response Team
Testing Data - Page OneTesting Data - Page TwoRevenueExpenses
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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.

Radiochemistry

Radionuclides can be harmful to human health if inhaled or ingested. They are commonly found in low concentrations in the Earth’s geology, but are also artificially produced by nuclear reactors. The Radiochemistry section primarily performs analyses of water and soil to determine radioactivity levels, but is also capable of analyzing air, food, milk, urine and foliage.

Major achievements:

  • Partnered with Dr. Michael Schultz, associate professor with the UI Departments of Radiology and Radiation Oncology, in the study of hydraulic fracking flow back wastewater. In March 2014, Environmental Science and Technology Letters published “Matrix Complications in the Determination of Radium Levels in Hydraulic Fracturing Flow Back Water from Marcellus Shale,” the first of several papers related to this project.
  • Developed and validated methods to measure the radioactivity in hydraulic fracking flow back wastewater.
  • Investigated other environmental matrices from hydraulic fracturing areas, such as water and sediment, for environmental contamination.
  • Continued to adopt, implement and validate methods for measuring radioactive isotopes using alpha spectroscopy to expand the capability of the section.