Spotlight on Sections: Pacific Northwest Section Focuses on the Environment
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UPDATE on AOAC:

AOAC has many new services to offer its members. Online access to the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA), the membership directory, discussion groups, and JAOAC is now available. AOAC is pleased to offer access to OMA as a member benefit in addition to the membership directory and the discussion groups. E-OMA is continuously updated. Both e-OMA and the e-membership directory are searchable. The e-Community Marine and Fresh Water Toxins provides one of the most active discussion groups. E-communities are designed to bring people together to prioritize methods and find the resources to validate the needed methods. AOAC provides many tools to support quality in the laboratory and accreditation. The accredited Proficiency Testing Program now has electronic data entry and will soon provide electronic reports. The AOAC training courses have been expanded. The Analytical Laboratory Accreditation Criteria Committee (ALACC) is currently revising the AOAC INTERNATIONAL Guidelines for Laboratories Performing Microbiological and Chemical Analyses of Food and Pharmaceuticals. The ALACC Criteria provide detailed guidance on how to meet the management and technical requirements of ISO/IEC 17025.

AOAC has developed standards for Homeland Security through contracts. AOAC has served as an independent third party to bring together diverse government agencies and industry to develop a joint ASTM Sampling Standard and to evaluate handheld assays. In the future, the goal will be to develop consensus among principal stakeholders (DHS, CDC, DoJ, USPS, DoD, OSTP) on performance and acceptance criteria for public health actionable assays.