The Chemistry Lab of the Kansas Health and Environmental Laboratories (KHEL) is involved in optimizing the promotion and protection of the health of Kansans by providing timely and accurate analytical information for more than 70,000 samples of air, water, and soil it receives annually. The analyses produced by the Chemistry Lab are used as assessment tools for public health issues that arise from environmental contaminants.
In addition, the Chemistry Lab also conducts blood tests on 7,000 to 10,000 Kansas children annually; monitors lakes, rivers, and streams of Kansas; and performs detailed analyses on samples submitted from more than 1,100 public drinking water supplies in Kansas in order to detect and quantify pesticides, herbicided, and other priority pollutants that may represent a health concern.