Modified Schedule for February 16 - 20, 2026

Alaska state offices will be closed on Monday, February 16th in observance of Presidents' Day.

As a result, the sample acceptance schedule for February 16 - February 20 must be modified, as follows:

Shellfish Growing Water (SGW) samples will be accepted Tuesday Feb. 17, Wednesday Feb. 18, and by noon Thursday Feb. 19.

Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST) commercial samples will be accepted Tuesday Feb. 17, Wednesday Feb. 18, Thursday Feb. 19, and by noon Friday Feb. 20.

Wet Storage samples will be accepted by 3pm on Tuesday Feb. 17.

Raw meat samples will be accepted Tuesday Feb. 17, Wednesday Feb. 18, and by noon Thursday Feb. 19, however meat samples are pooled for efficiency, generally once a week.

Slaughter sponge samples are good for 24 hours per USDA. Sponges will be accepted Tuesday Feb. 17, Wednesday Feb. 18, and by noon Thursday Feb. 19 unless written extension is provided to hold longer than 24 hours for testing.

Manufactured and Cottage food samples will be accepted Tuesday Feb. 17, Wednesday Feb. 18, Thursday Feb. 19, and Friday Feb. 20, however the testing will be conducted when samples are pooled for efficiency.

Dairy testing is scheduled once a month, as usual, and is scheduled for the week of Feb. 23rd and then Mar. 16th.

Geoduck inorganic arsenic samples will be accepted any workday; however, testing will be performed during designated testing weeks and is next scheduled for the week of Feb. 16th and then April 20th.

Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST) recreational/research (PCOX) sample will be accepted any workday; however, the testing will be as soon as possible given current backlog.

Normal sample acceptance schedules resume on Monday, February 23, 2026.

Assistance is available with timing of sample collections, completion of submission forms, packaging, temperature requirements, shipping, and sample tracking. Sampling questions, planned sampling activities, and shipping notifications, can be made to DEC.EH-Lab-ShippingReceiving@alaska.gov or 907-375-8231.

Regards,

Patryce D. McKinney, MBA

Chief, Environmental Health Laboratory