Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Barnstable County expands public-health lab capacity; PFAS testing grows after new certification
Loading...
Summary
Barnstable County officials reported sharp increases in testing volume and new laboratory capacity funded partly with ARPA dollars, including local PFAS testing, new equipment and three new positions to support increased sample loads.
Barnstable County health officials told the Assembly of Delegates on Oct. 15 that demand for public-health laboratory services has risen sharply this year and that investments funded in part by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars have expanded the lab’s capacity.
Dan White, laboratory director for the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, said since July 1 the laboratory has received “over 12,000 samples, 5,000 of which were beach samples,” and that the lab has analyzed “almost 400 samples for PFAS since July 1.” White also reported the lab has tested “over 550 residential wells for various contaminants.” White said the laboratory has seen an approximate 10% year-over-year increase in samples and is on track for a record season.
The department credited the county’s ARPA-funded staffing and equipment investments with the capacity gains. White said three positions created or funded with ARPA dollars — a deputy laboratory director, a PFAS chemist and a part‑time bacteriologist — have been filled or converted into ongoing county positions. “Kevin's position as the Liberty Lab deputy director is one of those,” White said, noting the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection recommended increased data-validation oversight during the lab’s last audit. White identified the PFAS chemist position (originally ARPA-funded) as now supported in the regular lab salary budget and noted the lab was able to fill the role after the prior chemist left.
The lab also used ARPA funds to buy analytical equipment and upgrades, White said: an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP‑OES) recently installed and undergoing certification, an automated microbiological analyzer under certification, new bench space and improvements to the laboratory information management system used for sample logging and reporting.
PFAS testing and regional water work White said the lab’s PFAS testing program has drawn sustained interest. Since the lab gained PFAS certification in mid‑February, the lab has processed about 700 PFAS samples, White said, driven in part by a county-sponsored residential-well testing program administered by Tetra Tech and funded with ARPA. White said the Tetra Tech program alone accounts for hundreds of samples, and that additional testing demand comes from Nantucket’s requirement for PFAS testing in real‑estate transactions and from wastewater and compliance testing across the Cape.
“The Tetra Tech project…brought in 300 samples alone for PFAS,” the director said; he added that the county discussed options to follow up with homeowners who expressed interest beyond the initial program and to consider how paid testing might be offered later.
Public-health outreach and services County health director Jay Gardner outlined broader departmental services tied to the lab’s work and urged public engagement. Gardner noted a public vaccination clinic planned for Oct. 27, 12:30–3:30 p.m. at the county facility offering COVID‑19 boosters and flu shots, and said the nursing division delivers services at roughly 35 other sites across the Cape.
Gardner emphasized the links between housing, water quality and health, and described partnerships with local providers (including a VNA partnership on A1C diabetes screening) and regional initiatives such as the Mass Test Center and a Gates Foundation-supported clean-water initiative. “Public health is not a passive endeavor. I’d ask you get engaged,” Gardner said.
Revenues and rate changes During questioning, White told delegates that laboratory revenues have increased since a July 2024 rate adjustment and that the lab’s revenues are “higher than they've ever been.” He described changes to maintenance and service contracts, noting the lab will keep service contracts for high‑use instruments (e.g., LC‑MS for PFAS) but not for equipment with intermittent demand unless higher volumes justify it.
What delegates asked Delegates pressed for details about sample volumes, the sustainability of PFAS testing revenue and how TOC (total organic carbon) analysis demand had changed since the prior budget discussion. White said the lab is not under contract for TOC maintenance unless volumes justify it and that a new TOC analyzer would be procured when needed.
Why it matters: Local PFAS testing capacity and expanded lab services reduce reliance on out‑of‑jurisdiction labs, speed results for public-health decisions, and create a local revenue stream. The lab director and county administration are exploring options to convert one-time ARPA-supported sampling programs into paid services.
