Sewage Contamination Testing at EMSL Analytical, Inc.

A California city has temporarily closed its seven miles of public beaches for any water contact due to a massive sewage spill that happened at the end of 2020. This spill resulted in approximately 50,000 gallons of dumped sewage, which was the result of a pump station failure that was caused by a power loss.

One of the city’s organization’s collected seawater samples to test for sewage contamination levels and will continue to regularly test water until it is deemed safe by state standards. Sewage contaminated water can cause illness in multiple ways; through ingestion, by getting the contaminated water on/in eyes, ears and even skin, and sometimes by inhaling contaminated water droplets.

Sewage contamination creates a health and safety concern for anyone that encounters it. Raw sewage can expose people to a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa and parasites. Sewage can end up in different waterways through unintentional rainfall events, but in this case, a power loss is what caused the contamination to happen.

“If sewage contaminated water goes untreated, it poses a major risk to human health as it contains pathogens that can cause serious human illness,” said Joseph Frasca, Senior Vice President of Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “EMSL has developed testing methods to determine the presence of sewage contamination by utilizing the Bacteroides, which can determine the source of the contamination as animal or human.”

The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) professionals at EMSL Analytical, Inc. offer comprehensive testing services for microbial and chemical contaminants, all of the sampling supplies necessary, and has a line of easy-to-use test kits for many IEQ issues. EMSL has sponsored an educational video about sewage contamination, property damage and exposure concerns that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/XBRUJEwnVMo.

For more information about sewage contamination, water damage, mold or other environmental, health and safety testing services, please visit www.EMSL.com, email  info@EMSL.com  or call (800) 220-3675. For access to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) test kits, visit www.EMSLTestKits.com.


About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories with 46 locations throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria, Legionella, USP 797, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOC’s, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

(1) 856-303-2503

Contact via E-mail