Introducing the Chemistry unit of WVDL
There is rarely a dull moment for the chemists here: a single day could involve anything from routine testing, investigative diagnostic work, instrument troubleshooting, major instrument maintenance and repairs, to exciting data manipulation and calculations! We admit that may not be everyone’s idea of an exciting day, but we love it. And the diversity and scope of the tests we offer as well as the samples we receive keep things interesting.
When telling visitors about what we do we often say, “It’s like CSI for animals.” That can warrant a response from any tour group: they perk up a little and lose the glazed look in their eyes. Then we have to follow with our caveat, “It’s like the lab part of CSI.”
Then we tell them we get to do the exciting, investigative side of things (e.g. detecting, confirming, and quantifying elements, drugs, pesticides, herbicides, PCBs and other toxins), but the catch is the amount of time that it takes and, often, the amount of sample required. After all, this is chemistry, not magic! We only ask that our clients carefully read our submission guidelines on the WVDL website and we encourage everyone to call us at any time with questions (608-262-5432 ext. 3215).
