The NELAC Institute Environmental Laboratory (TNI-EL) Accreditation Standard
Management and technical requirements for laboratories performing environmental analysis
The NELAC Institute Environmental Laboratory (TNI-EL) Accreditation Standard is a national standard that holds significance in the environmental testing industry. It is recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), as well as many US states. This standard sets specific requirements that environmental testing laboratories must meet to ensure their competence and adherence to industry regulations. To strengthen its credibility, the TNI standard incorporates the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard, which is an internationally recognized standard for testing and calibration laboratories.
PJLA provides two distinct services relating to the TNI Environmental Laboratory standard:
- TNI Non-Governmental Accreditation Body recognition. This accreditation helps laboratories demonstrate their competence in testing a wide range of substances, including water, materials, tissue, and air. Notably, this accreditation can be obtained even for analytes that are not specifically regulated by the state. By undergoing the PJLA accreditation process and when requested, combining the assessment to both the TNI Environmental Laboratory standard with the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard as well, laboratories can elevate their credibility at both national and international levels.
- Specific State Programs that utilize the TNI Environmental Laboratory standard, such as the California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (CA ELAP), the Louisiana Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (LELAP) and the Minnesota Department of Health Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (MNELAP). Testing laboratories seeking accreditation from these state programs can schedule these assessments with PJLA. Upon completion, PJLA provides a comprehensive assessment report to both the state program and the laboratory. If any noncompliance issues are identified, the laboratory works with PJLA to address them. Once the nonconformities have been resolved, PJLA notifies the state program, and subsequently, the state program issues the accreditation to the laboratory.
