Testing services
Accurate analysis is fundamental to everything we do at Cefas
and ensures we always give the best scientific advice to our
customers.
We have built a reputation as a leading provider of a wide range
of high-quality laboratory services for government and industry,
providing independent advice based on clear scientific evidence.
Our advice and full interpretation of results is based on a
detailed knowledge of national and international regulatory
standards.
Our services include Cefas Shellfish Testing, a
commercial testing service for the detection of marine toxins,
norovirus and other microbiological contaminants in bivalve
molluscs. We have provided this facility to UK government for
many years; and the wider availability of this service will
now provide risk-management information for producers and other
stakeholders.
We are also testing and measuring toxicity in marine
and freshwater effluents, seawater and sediment. In addition, we
are expert users of Direct Toxicity Assessment (DTA), enabling
customers to check industrial effluent before discharging into
controlled waters and applying the data to predict any risk to
fish, shellfish or the environment.
When it comes to the full assessment of environmental radioactivity,
we offer a comprehensive service from our Lowestoft laboratory,
which is one of the few in the world with such advanced facilities.
Our highly trained scientists handle state-of-the-art analytical
equipment, working at the sharp end of analysis and monitoring.
Additionally, we offer "biological effect" techniques to
provide a cost-effective service to assess if a chemical might
cause adverse health effects in the marine environment. And our molecular
biologists provide fingerprinting analyses for bacteria,
achaeobacteria, microalgae and fish to determine species or
communities.
Other examples of our services include:
Our customers include local and national government; the Food
Standards Agency in England and Wales, and in Scotland; overseas
governments; a range of industries - water, nuclear, oil and gas,
fish farming, shellfish producers, and manufacturing - and
consultancies.
Please contact laboratoryservices@cefas.co.uk
for further information.