Thermo Fisher Scientific Opens POPs Center of Excellence for Food Safety and Environmental Analysis

16-Mar-2011 - Germany

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced the opening of its Center of Excellence for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Staffed with experts in POPs analysis, the new center will support laboratories that research, measure and monitor dioxins and other POPs found in food and the environment. The center provides access to highly productive, value-added methods for identifying some of the most difficult to detect POPs. The first method developed by the center provides an integrated workflow that includes instruments, software and consumables used in screening to confirmation.

POPs are chemical substances produced by human activity and they are widely distributed in the environment by natural processes, persisting for many years after forming. POPs, such as dioxins, can be toxic to living organisms (including humans) as they accumulate in soft tissues, and contaminants can become more concentrated as they move up the food chain. As a result of their impact on health and the environment, the Stockholm Convention on POPs, administered by the United Nations Environment Program, has been signed by more than 160 nations to protect human health, wildlife and the environment.

POPs analysis

The Thermo Fisher Center of Excellence for POPs, located in Bremen, Germany, is an industry-wide resource equipped with the latest technology and expertise to support collaborative projects, serving as a knowledge hub for POPs analysis and development of effective POPs methodologies. The center will also partner with industry and governmental laboratories to improve the quality and efficiency of worldwide POPs monitoring.

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