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SGS AXYS Method 16130 Recommended to EPA-Approved Testing List for Dioxins

New SGS AXYS testing method set to become alternative for industry regulation

by SGS
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it has approved the SGS AXYS Method 16130 as a method and alternate test procedure for future regulation and detection of dioxins.
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RUTHERFORD, NJ —  The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it has approved the SGS AXYS Method 16130 as a method and alternate test procedure for future regulation and detection of dioxins.

Developed over two years at the SGS AXYS laboratory in collaboration with the EPA and equipment manufacturers, Waters Corporation, and Agilent Technologies, the SGS AXYS Method 16130 is an important piece of the puzzle in the modernization and diversification of testing for dioxins and other toxic contaminants. The current EPA 1613B dioxin testing method has long been considered the ‘gold standard,’ but the magnetic sector instruments that it uses are an ageing platform with decreasing vendor and instrument availability, making a new test vital.

SGS has a history of acting as a "think tank" for testing innovation with other methods that are continuously being developed, evaluated, and sold to customers. The SGS AXYS Method 16130 is added to a long and substantial list of tests that SGS has already created for detecting dioxins and monitoring other environmental contaminants that are currently available to clients. 

This new method for testing takes advantage of the latest technology using GC-MS/MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry). The SGS AXYS Method 16130 was submitted for review under The Clean Water Act Alternate Test Procedure (ATP) program administered by the Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology, Engineering and Analysis Division, which helped in moving the project forward.

In a letter to SGS, Lem Walker, Jr., Clean Water Act (CWA) ATP Coordinator, US EPA, stated that after completing review of this method and supporting validation study data, “I will recommend that this method be included in future regulatory actions in which EPA adds to the list of approved methods at 40 CFR Part 136.” He also noted the ATP review does not replace the normal notice-and-comment rulemaking required for approval as an ATP for nationwide use. In the interim, Walker says, a user may, on a facility-by-facility basis, seek limited-use approval as an ATP from their regional authority.

The US EPA said that approval of a GC/MS/MS method for measurement of PCDDs/PCDFs would take advantage of the newer technology and has the potential to lower laboratory costs and expand the pool of available laboratories, while achieving the equivalent in method performance. 

SGS is known as the global leader for independent testing and certification, but more often in the background and away from the spotlight. “We're ecstatic to have worked with the EPA on this groundbreaking SGS AXYS Method 16130. SGS AXYS methods have been the basis for several other EPA 1600 series methods for example, PCB congeners, flame retardants, chlorinated pesticides, PPCP (pharmaceuticals and personal care products), and we are currently working with them on validation of a PFAS method,” said Peter Possemiers, EVP, Environment, Health and Safety. 

The EPA’s SGS AXYS Method 16130 is set to join other SGS innovations and to become one of the testing solutions aimed at reducing human exposure to dioxins and other pollutants found in air, agricultural land, and water.