Environmental testing labs provide an important service to our surrounding environment and public health. Different analyses can be done, including radiological, chemical, microbiological, and genetic, on a wide range of environmental matrices and samples. These technology trends support the functions of government agencies that protect the environment.
As environmental tests evolve, changes are made to various regulations that govern sampling methods, and establish stricter detection limits and introduce new contaminants to screening lists. The industry has suffered through a period of consolidation economically, declining profitability, and intense price competition.
For a lab to survive, it should anticipate and plan for potential changes in regulations and adapt to expected and unexpected events – for example, the emergence of the covid-19 pandemic. We have seen an unprecedented global effort to come up with monitoring and detection protocols. This showed the need for the centralization of data to facilitate scientific collaboration and even harness the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.
As seen during the Covid 19 pandemic as well as other crises, labs should have the ability to pivot their usual operations – adding personnel and shifts to help in addressing increased testing needs. Advances in remote communications technologies have also been successfully implemented globally to facilitate effective communication with and between customers and personnel, maintain instrument operations and important data flow and even manage lab operations in environmental testing services.
Aside from the emergence of Covid 19, labs are under pressure to reduce the turnaround time and cost for analytical services. Any technologies that can facilitate this are likely to be rapidly adopted. Here are some current and future trends in technology that will enable testing labs to adapt to unforeseen future issues.
Automation
Automation has revolutionized a lot of human activities in recent decades – including the way we shop, work, and bank. As regulations continue to tighten, the pressures in costs increase and a shortage of knowledgeable and skilled personnel emerge, the scientific sectors are looking to automation.
Labs can incorporate automation into their workflow during the processing of samples, sample preparation, and testing.
Cloud computing
This is another field that makes a lot of IT resources available to users without the requirement for direct hosting or management by an operator. It enables the transfer of data and data storage without the need for a human to a computer or human to human interaction. The collection of cloud-based technology tools is known as IoT or the internet of things and they benefit a lab by connecting several elements of the lab to devices and monitoring equipment and supplies using a smart shelf. The smart shelves can help laboratories to automate their inventory control of working standards, maximum hold times, sample use by disposal protocols.
AI and machine learning in the laboratory
In environmental testing labs, AI is being paired with automated and robotic technologies to expand the scope of science. Automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence can overcome challenges by taking over some parts of the workflow. Integrating artificial intelligence into companies is typically facilitated by an increase in the employment of computer scientists and data.