Testing and analytics services over the Christmas period

The National Measurement Institute laboratory at North Ryde will be closed, so make sure you submit environmental and organic residue samples before our deadlines.
Photo of a technician in a laboratory testing a sample

NMI scientist preparing an environmental sample for pressurised solvent extraction

The National Measurement Institute (NMI) laboratories and offices will close over the Christmas break.

If you want us to test and report environmental and organic residue samples before the break, make sure you submit samples before our deadlines.

Closing hours

The North Ryde laboratory will:

  • close for sample receipt 12 noon (AEDT) on Thursday, 24 December
  • reopen 8:30am (AEDT) on Monday, 4 January 2021

The Port Melbourne laboratory will:

  • close for the public holidays
  • open for sample receipt from 10am to 3pm on:
    • Tuesday, 29 December
    • Wednesday, 30 December
    • Thursday, 31 December
  • reopen 8:30am (AEDT) on Monday, 4 January 2021

Sample deadlines for North Ryde

  • Dioxins and furans in any matrix by Thursday, 12 November.
  • PFAS in biota or serum by Thursday, 26 November.
  • Samples requiring a standard 7-working-day turnaround by Tuesday morning, 15 December. This includes low-level organic residues, PFAS in soil and water, glyphosate, organotins and chloropropanols.
  • Samples requiring a standard 5-working-day turnaround time by Thursday morning, 17 December. This includes Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and air canisters.

Sample deadlines for Port Melbourne

  • Normal receipt and processing of samples will occur up until Thursday, 24 December. However, if results are required prior to 25 December then clients will need to contact NMI to organise a fast turn-around service. NMI will attempt to meet needs where possible, but resource constraints may limit our capability to complete work at short notice.
  • If work is not urgent then we will apply our regular turn-around time processes, with testing undertaken when regular lab operations resume on the 4 January.

Samples we receive after deadlines

If we receive samples after these dates we will extract them if we have time. If not, we will:

  • freeze liquid or solid samples
  • store packaged food samples as specified on the packet
  • store air samples at ambient temperature

We will process samples received after our deadlines when the offices reopen in early 2021. Note this may have implications for your samples’ recommended holding times.

If you require shorter than standard turnarounds, please let us know immediately before you despatch samples. We will look at each request on a case by case basis, and will facilitate processing and analysis before Christmas wherever possible.

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To ask about sending samples:

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