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EPA’s New Labs Focus on Good Science

Release Date: 4/19/1999
Contact Information: Donna Heron (215) 814-5113

FORT MEADE, Md. - EPA’s new "good science" laboratory at Fort Meade, Md. is open in time for Earth Day 1999.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Peter Robertson, EPA Region III Administrator W. Michael McCabe and a host of dignitaries are dedicating the new $47 million laboratory at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 19. Also speaking are Maryland’s two U.S. Senators Paul S. Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski. Honored guests will include three U.S. Congressmen, the Secretary of the Army, and other federal officials.

This new state-of-the-art facility is part of EPA’s overall commitment to use sound science principles in the protection of human health and the environment. The new Environmental Science Center is where air, water and soil samples will be analyzed for chemical contaminants. The 70 chemistry, biology and microbiology laboratories verify that drinking water is safe; verify the effectiveness of hospital disinfectants; develop analytical methods to measure pesticide residue levels in food; and develop the scientific evidence that underlies criminal cases against polluters.

The dedication ceremony will mark the consolidation of six EPA facilities formerly located in Annapolis and Beltsville, Maryland, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. This 140,000 square-foot center for applied science will enable the EPA to replace outdated laboratory facilities with cutting-edge technology that will increase the agency’s efficiency and productivity. It is the first non-Defense Department federal facility at Fort Meade.

The Environmental Science Center represents an opportunity for the EPA to practice what it preaches: design for minimal environmental impact. Some of its "green" highlights include natural light for labs and offices, non-Freon coolants and heat exchangers, lead-free solder in plumbing, wood lab cabinetry manufactured from sustainable forests, recycled asphalt for parking and roadway surfaces, and natural landscaping with heavy emphasis on retaining existing mature trees.