The state's first commercial lab that's able to test for PFAS in drinking water has opened in Norridgewock.
Katie Richards is the CEO of Maine Laboratories, which received state accreditation last week. She says she opened the lab to help address a backlog in testing.
"What we're hearing right now is testing is taking anywhere from four to five to six weeks to getting it turned around," she says. "And our goal coming in and starting out is that we would be turning testing around in a two-week period of time."
Richards says they're able to turn around results quickly because the lab is solely focused on PFAS. The long-lasting chemical has been widely used in common household products and has been linked to harmful health effects.
In addition to drinking water, the lab can also test wastewater, groundwater, soils, effluent, and landfills for PFAS. Cost ranges from roughly three to four-hundred dollars.
