The Department of Environmental Health Sciences moved to a new facility, the Public Health Research Building, in the summer of 2006.  Dr. Aelion now has an environmental laboratory as well as a designated radioisotope laboratory.

Environmental Chemistry Lab

Radioisotope Lab

SEDIMENT COLUMNS

Glass sediment columns were designed and constructed at USC for the flow-through experiments investigating encapsulation technology for PH control of groundwater during bioremediation of contaminants.  Each sediment column contains three miniature mesh wells to house the encapsulated buffer and two sample ports.

The isotopic processing line purifies carbon dioxide contained in soil air or groundwater for radiocarbon (¹⁴C) or stable carbon (δ¹³C) analysis.  The processing line also contains a furnace for methane combustion for subsequent carbon isotopic and deuterium analysis of methane.

Three Varian 3700 Gas Chromatographs equipped with a flame ionization detector, thermal conductivity detector, or an electron capture detector offer a broad range of environmental analyzes.

Varian 3800 Gas Chromatography / Saturn 2000 Mass Spectrometer equipped with:

• Varian 8200 autosampler for automated headspace, liquid, or solid-phase-microextraction (SPME) injection of samples
• Varian autotherm with a 12 VIAL (10 ML) or 48 VIAL (2 ML) carousel for semi-volatile compunds
• Flame ionization and thermal conductivity detector
• Computer automated Varian Star software
• Cryogenic capability using liquid nitrogen

OTHER EQUIPMENT

• Spectronic Genesys2 Spectrophotometer
• Waters HPLC
• Lachat QuikChem FIA (flow injection analyzer) with autosampler
• Dionex Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE100)
• Packard Tri-Carb 2300 Liquid Scintillation Analyzer
• Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)

GENERAL

• Mettler Toledo analytical balance
• Thermolyne furnace with controller
• Fisher isotherm incubator
• Stabil-therm constant temperature cabinet
• Thermolyne anaerobic incubator
• Sieve shaker with A.S.T.M. sediment sieves

FIELD EQUIPMENT

• Gas-tech carbon dioxide and oxygen hand-meters
• HACH colorimeters
• YSI dissolved oxygen probe
• YSI data quality logger
• YSI multiparameter water quality monitor
• Generator
• Whale submersible pumps
• Grundfos submersible pump
• In-Situ Troll 9000 Data Logging Water Quality Monitor

LABORATORY SAFETY

• Laboratory safety training
• Radiological safety training
• Eye wash stations
• Emergency showers
• First aid kits
• Spill containment kits
• Ventilation hoods
• Chemical hygene plan
• Material safety data sheets
• Access to staff at USC's Environmental Health and Safety and Radiation Safety