Modified Schedule for March 30 - April 3

Alaska state offices will be closed on Monday, March 30th in observance of Seward's Day.

As a result, the sample acceptance schedule for March 30th - April 3 must be modified, as follows:

Shellfish Growing Water (SGW) samples will be accepted Tuesday March 31, Wednesday April 1, and by noon Thursday April 2.

Paralytic Shellfish Toxin (PST) commercial samples will be accepted Tuesday March 31, Wednesday April 1, Thursday April 2, and by noon Friday April 3.

Wet Storage samples will be accepted by 3pm on Tuesday March 31.

Raw meat samples will be accepted Tuesday March 31, Wednesday April 1, and by noon Thursday April 2, 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 March 31, Wednesday April 1, and by noon Thursday April 2 unless written extension is provided to hold longer than 24 hours for testing.

Manufactured and Cottage food samples will be accepted Tuesday March 31, Wednesday April 1, Thursday April 2, and Friday April 3, 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 April 13th and then May 18th.

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 April 20th and then June 1st.

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, April 6, 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