STATUS OF ACCREDITED AND NON-ACCREDITED ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING LABORATORIES IN INDIABattal Singh, Manju Ranjan Rawat Abhishek Chauhan, V.K. Verma and Tanu JindalAbstract Environment pollution is great concern for whole world because of its severe impact over the living and non-living creatures on the planet. There are many organizations which are working in the field of environment pollution. Lot of data is generated by the various laboratories under various organization like CPCB, SPCB, associations, government laboratories, semi-government, autonomous, private organization, Universities and Colleges. The data generated by these laboratories forms the basis of decision making for the scholars, bureaucrats, scientists, etc. Also, there are some ministries which are having responsibility of saving the environment through testing various samples collected from various sources. The authenticity or correctness of result is a big challenge, because some system is required which can ensure that the results which are products by the laboratory are comparable and reproduceable or at par with the rest of the world. Therefore, to avoid ambiguity certain system is required which can at least guarantee the correctness of the result. Accreditation may be a very strong tool for maintaining the quality of test results because there are requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 which needs to be compliance by the laboratory to get the accreditation for specific testing related to the environment. Assessment conducted by the assessment body is concerned with the technical competence of the laboratory including personnel, environmental conditions, reference standards, method used for testing and quality control activities etc. Accreditation in itself a guarantee of well-maintained system for the laboratory for producing the test results. The current paper focuses on the status of accredited environmental laboratories in India. |