ALS Laboratory Group is a diversified international analytical laboratory group operating in 30 countries throughout Australia, North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia.

ALS provides services to mining and mineral exploration, environ-mental monitoring, equipment maintenance through used lubricant analysis, as well as commodity analysis and certification.

ALS Scandinavia’s laboratory in Luleå, Sweden, has been specially designed for trace and ultra-trace elemental analyses, as well as metal speciation. We currently operate five ICP-AES and eight ICP-SFMS devices, each instrument being assigned a specific suite of carefully selected sample types in order to minimize risks for inter-sample contamination. Read more...

Analyses of organic contaminants in human biological samples are performed by the North American Centre of Excellence in Edmonton, Canada. The Centre for Excellence laboratory offers the most advanced analytical, toxicological and technical capabilities for conducting trace organic characterizations, and full dioxin testing in addition to GLP pesticide/herbicide testing. Read more...

Biomonitoring is a technique for assessing human exposure to compounds in the environment. By directly analyzing human tissues or body fluids, information can be provided as to whether exposure to particular substances has taken place, as well as giving indications of the magnitude of, and temporal variations in any exposure. Blood, urine, breast milk and expelled air are the most commonly analyzed samples, but hair, nails, fat, bone and other tissues may also be used.

Biomonitoring data can identify environmental pollutants that have increased in concentration to levels detectable in humans, and thus contribute to the discovery of new sources of this kind of substance. Biomonitoring results can also be used in medicine to diagnose patients exposed to excessive amounts of chemicals in e.g. the working environment. Furthermore, trends in biomonitoring data can be useful in evaluating policies designed to reduce levels of specific substances in the environment.

Biomonitoring data can also be used by scientists to provide direction for future research.

When a chemical enters the human body, it inevitably leaves a marker reflecting this exposure. The marker may be the chemical itself, a breakdown product or some change in the body as a result of its action on the individual.

While biomonitoring measures exposure, it does not provide information about toxicity, other health risks or potential benefits. Indeed, many chemicals are essential for the functioning of the body, medicines being a good example.

The most important strength of biomonitoring is that it provides a direct measure of the exposure of human individuals and populations. It also integrates contributions from multiple sources, e.g., air, water and food, and thus reflects the total exposure.