Public Health Command Europe laboratory earns renewed accreditation, strengthens force health protection

LANDSTUHL, Germany - Public Health Command Europe's Laboratory Sciences Division has renewed its accreditation, reaffirming its ability to deliver reliable scientific data that helps protect service members, families and other military communities across Europe, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command.

The division conducts biological and chemical testing on drinking water, bottled water, food, soil, air and other environmental samples. Its work supports public health professionals and commanders as they make decisions affecting food safety, water quality and environmental conditions at installations and deployed locations.

"Anywhere a United States service member could be serving, we test samples to make sure their environment is clean where they're serving and that the food they're eating is safe and wholesome," said Lt. Col. Diana Hoffman, Laboratory Sciences Division director.

The laboratory's ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation confirms that its personnel, equipment, testing methods, quality controls and records meet internationally recognized standards for testing laboratories. Public Health Command Europe's Laboratory Sciences Division is accredited to provide a range of public health testing services in support of U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command.

Accreditation is more than an administrative requirement, Hoffman said. The laboratory's customers - including environmental health engineers and food inspectors - rely on its results to assess potential health risks and prepare recommendations for commanders and installation leaders.

"The main purpose or result that comes out of the laboratory for our customers is data," Hoffman said. "We have to make sure that data is accurate, precise and repeatable."

During the assessment, third-party auditors reviewed laboratory policies, quality-management records, equipment and testing procedures. They also observed scientists as they performed testing methods to verify that processes were followed consistently and that samples were handled, analyzed and documented properly.

The on-site portion of the assessment lasted one week and followed a virtual document review conducted the previous week. Auditors examined records spanning the full two-year accreditation cycle, ensuring the laboratory maintains its standards continuously rather than only preparing for one inspection.

Laboratory personnel include Army Soldiers, U.S. civilian employees, local national employees and contractors. The workforce includes chemists, microbiologists, molecular biologists and medical laboratory specialists who receive, process and analyze samples from throughout the supported areas of responsibility.

The division also provides professional development opportunities for Soldiers in food inspection and medical laboratory specialties. Those assignments give Soldiers a firsthand understanding of the scientific process behind samples collected in the field and the data used to support public health recommendations.

For military families, the laboratory's work goes unseen but directly impacts daily life, Hoffman said. Its testing delivers the precise data needed to shape and enforce public health safeguards behind drinking water, food sold and served on installations, and environmental conditions in military communities.

"There are subject matter experts and technical experts behind the scenes doing all of this analysis to provide precise data to inform these decisions," Hoffman said. "It gives me confidence that there's safety and security to an extremely high level in the food that we eat, the water that we drink, the air that we breathe and the environment that our kids play in."

The renewed accreditation demonstrates the laboratory's sustained commitment to scientific rigor and reliable results. Those results help public health teams identify concerns, validate safety measures and provide commanders with the information needed to protect the force and their families.

Public Health Command Europe Laboratory Sciences is a full-service public health laboratory supporting biological and chemical analysis for drinking water, food safety, environmental and occupational health assessments, veterinary diagnostics and entomology.