Chemistry Laboratory
Chemical analysis plays a major part of the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards (SKNBS), fulfilling its obligation to protect the environment and health and safety of our customers.
To achieve this goal we continually:
- Provide professional, confidential services that consistently meet or exceed the requirements and expectations of our customers.
- Improve our processes and services, develop our facilities, train our personnel and comply with ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 17025 and other applicable national, regional and international codes and regulatory requirements.
Presently, the majority of chemical analyses are performed on water, food, soil, and plant. Future advancements will be to determine the quality of fuel and pesticide residues using instruments with such capability.
ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory
ISO 17025 Benefits
ISO 17025 is an internationally recognized standard that outlines the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Accreditation to this standard demonstrates that a laboratory meets a set of criteria for technical competence, management system, and quality assurance, and provides many benefits to laboratories, including:
Improved Credibility and Recognition: Accreditation to ISO 17025 enhances the reputation and credibility of a laboratory, as it demonstrates that it has met a recognized international standard. This can help the laboratory to gain recognition from customers, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders.
Improved Quality of Results: ISO 17025 accreditation requires that laboratories have a quality management system in place, which includes procedures for managing the quality of testing and calibration activities. This leads to improved accuracy, reliability, and consistency of results.
International Acceptance: ISO 17025 accreditation is recognized globally and accepted by developed countries. Laboratories accredited to this standard can demonstrate their competence to clients and customers across the world.
Improved Efficiency and Effectiveness: Accreditation to ISO 17025 requires laboratories to have documented procedures in place for all aspects of their work. This helps to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of laboratory operations, reducing the risk of errors and improving productivity.
Competitive Advantage: Accreditation to ISO 17025 provides a competitive advantage to laboratories by demonstrating their technical competence and commitment to quality. This can lead to increased business opportunities and improved customer satisfaction.
Food and Water Testing
There are requirements for the purity, treatment, bacteriological acceptability, packaging, and labelling of all packaged waters that are pre-packaged for sale and used as beverages or in foods.
In addition to the routine testing, the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards has in its possession an ICP-OES (Inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry), installed in 2012. The technique has been commercially used globally and thanks to its reliability, multi-element options, and high throughput, it has become widely applied in both routine research and also in more specific analysis purposes. This equipment can detect trace elements (heavy metals) and reveal some non-metals in food, water, and soil samples.
Heavy Metals: ALUMINUM, ANTIMONY, ARSENIC, BARIUM, BERYLLIUM, BORON, CADMIUM, CALCIUM, CESIUM, CHROMIUM, COPPER, GOLD, IRON, LEAD, LITHIUM, MAGNESIUM, MANGANESE, MERCURY, MOLYBDENUM, NICKEL, POTASSIUM, SELENIUM, SILVER, TIN, ZINC
Other: AMMONIA, BIOLOGICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD), BRIX, CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND, CHLORIDE, CHLORINE-RESIDUAL, CONDUCTIVITY, FAT CONTENT, FLUORIDE, HARDNESS-CALCIUM, HARDNESS-TOTAL, MOISTURE CONTENT, NITRATE, NITRITE, NITROGEN, OIL/GREASE, pH, PHOSPHATE, PHOSPHOROUS, SALINITY, SULPHATE, SULPHIDE, TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS), TOTAL ACIDITY, TOTAL ALKALINITY, TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS, TURBIDITY, ALCOHOL VERIFICATION
Soil and Plant Analysis
Analysis of soil nutrients and constituents such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium and magnesium to give farmers scientific information important in the interpretation of the pertinent elements in soil.
This website has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.
