Public Health Laboratory Environmental
What We Do
OUR MISSION: We produce and share accurate and timely analytical data on personal and environmental health using cost-effective services.
OUR VISION: We are vital, dependable and integral component of the public health team in Marion County, Indiana supporting the mission of the Marion County Public Health Department.
Connect With UsFAQS
Please go to the Lab Service Room on the 1st Floor of the Marion County Public Health Department located on 3838 N. Rural St., Indianapolis, IN 46205. Business hours are Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. You will need to pick up the bottles and Chain of Custody forms at this location. Payment (cash or check) for bottles is expected at this point. Then, you can collect your sample and return it back to the Lab Service Room within business hours and hold times established in the collection instruction of the Chain of Custody form.
Please contact Water Quality at 317.221.2266.
Please contact Water Quality at 317.221.2266. For more information about disinfecting your well and other fact sheets, visit Private Well Program.
It can take 2-3 days to receive bacteria testing results and up to 14 days to receive chemical testing results.
Yes, we offer garden soil testing. It is $30 per Ziploc baggie/site. We test for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and pH. Results can take up to 14 days to receive.
Please include your PWS ID# on the lab’s Chain of Custody and indicate that your results must be sent to IDEM.
Contact your city water utility or water provider. Citizen’s Energy Group’s Water Wizard http://www.citizensenergygroup.com/My-Home/Utility-Services/Water/Water-Wizard?Q=4,5
Laboratory Tests Preformed
The Environmental Chemistry Laboratory provides testing services for the Departments of Water Quality & Hazardous Materials Management, Housing and Neighborhood Health and Food and Consumer Safety, which are all located within the Bureau of Environmental Health.
This laboratory is certified by the Indiana State Department of Health for chemical analysis of drinking water (Certificate #C-49-04). The laboratory is also certified by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA LAP) for the analysis of lead in soil, dust wipes, and paint (Certification #100944).
Tests are performed on the following: surface waters, ground/well waters and solid samples.
Anions
- Flouride
- Chloride
- Nitrite
- Ortho - phosphate
- Fluo
- Sulfate
Ammonia
Metals
- Arsenic
- Lead
- Barium
- Boron
- Chromium
- Mercury
- Cadmium
- Copper
- Nickel
- Zinc
- Manganese
- Iron
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Selenium
- Molybdenum
- Thallium
Volatile Organic Analyses
- Benzene
- Carbon tetrachloride
- Chlorobenzene
- 1,2-Dichlorobenzene
- 1,4-Dichlorobenzene
- 1,2-Dichloroethane
- 1,1-Dichloroethane
- cis-1,2-Dichlorethylene
- trans-1,2-Dichloroethene
- 1,2-Dichloropropane
- Ethylbenzene
- Methylene chloride
- Ethylbenzene
- Styrene
- Tetrachloroethene
- Toluene
- 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene
- 1,1,1-Trichloroethane
- 1,1,2-Trichloroethane
- Trichloroethene
- Vinyl chloride
- o-Xylene
- m,p-xylene
- Bromodichloromethane
- Bromoform
- Dibromochloromethane
- Chloroform
- Naphthalene
Herbicides
- Atrazine
- Alachlor
- Metolachlor
- Simazine
Wet Chemistry
- pH
- Conductivity
Solid Analyses
- Dust wipes, soil, paint chips for lead
- Soil for cadmium, chromium, lead, and arsenic
All compliance samples for Lead and Copper need to have 1L of sample collected for analysis.
The Environmental Microbiology Laboratory is certified by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA LAP) to test for bacteriological analysis of foods (Certification #100944). This laboratory is also certified by the Indiana State Department of Health to test for bacteriological analysis of drinking water (Certificate #M-49-2).
Please contact the Food Safety Department at 317.221.2222 for questions.
The tests below are performed on food samples:
- Salmonella
- Listeria
- E.coli 0157:H7
- E. coli
- Staphlococcus
- Yeast/Mold
- Aerobic Plate Count
- Coliform
- Campylobacter
- Bacillus
The tests below are performed on surface, well and city water samples:
- Total Coliform
- E.coli