 |
[Feedback] |
|
State-of-the-Art Equipment for CEHI
|
State-of-the-Art Equipment for CEHI
|
|
Contact:
John
Emmanuel
Tuesday,
February 20, 2001
-
The
Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) has significantly enhanced its
environmental testing capability with the acquisition of two new
state-of-the-art pieces of equipment – an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS)
and a High Performance Liquid Chromatography machine. The
machines, which were commissioned this week, have many functions. They include
detecting harmful metals and toxic pollutants in the environment, as well as the
presence of dangerous chemicals in water, plant and animal materials. CEHI,
based in St. Lucia, provides specialist services in environmental testing to
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries through a regional network of
laboratories. “The
commissioning also moves us towards greater recognition as a centre of
excellence for lab analysis and is consistent with our thrust towards lab
accreditation,” CEHI’s Executive Director Vincent Sweeney said. “Our
expectations are that the efforts towards strengthening of our labs would
position us as a service provider to support the major sectors of our economies
in the region, namely tourism and agriculture.” The
acquisition of the two machines comes against a backdrop of mounting pressure
for Caribbean and other small-island developing states to meet stringent
international trade standards. This being the case, CEHI’s high quality
monitoring facilities are expected to better position the region in the global
export market, especially in relation to agricultural products. Acting
Health Minister Honourable Michael Gaspard has welcomed the commissioning of the
machines, viewing them as additional measures aimed at ensuring public health. “The
presence of heavy metals in the environment is cause for great concern due to
the harmful effects that these toxic pollutants can have on humans, animal and
plant life. The detrimental health effects of some of these metals such as lead,
have been widely studied and documented. It has therefore become necessary for
CEHI as a leader in environmental health issues in the region to place itself in
a position to effectively identify and quantify heavy metals in environmental
samples,” he said. The equipment, costing close to US$200,000.00 will also cut analysis time in half, reduce the possibility of human error in testing, and allow for improved efficiency, CEHI officials said. |
|
© 2001 Government Information Service. All rights reserved. Read our privacy guidelines. |
