BD350,000 needed for analytical services lab
The University of Bahrain will launch a fund-raiser to support the purchase requirements for the Gulf region's first chemical analysis laboratory.
"The estimated budget for the equipment required is BD350,000," said Dr Osama Al Jawder, a faculty at the Department of Chemistry.
"The university has signed a contract with a specialist foreign company to furnish the lab. Work is expected to be completed soon."
The Analytical Services Laboratory is being established by the university to help meet the needs of various organisations and companies in Bahrain and the Gulf.
Dr Al Jawder said the department, affiliated with the College of Science, offered analytical services. The department analysed food items from the Ministry of Commerce to verify whether they met certain specifications. It also carried out analyses of other items for the environmental protection committee, perfume shops, and GPIC to identify the level of certain elements," he said. "This led us to think of establishing a specialised analytical services laboratory."
He said the laboratory would serve local and regional government bodies specialised in agriculture, commerce as well as industries and environment organisations by offering specialist chemical analyses using validated methods of testing. "Bahrain and many other countries may have similar types of laboratories, however, the equipment of the labs and number of analyses conducted are very limited. This Lab would be accredited to carry out a wide range of chemical analyses."
The ASL will consist of four units - the food and drug unit, the environmental analysis unit, the petroleum and petrochemical unit and the research and development unit.
'The last unit will deal with certification of documents and procurement of standard method of analysis. It will also conduct set up a library collection, organise workshops and training sessions and train technicians on various anal," Dr Al Jawder said.
© Bahrain Tribune 2007
