TDI-Brooks and laboratory affiliate B&B Laboratories have been awarded a $9 million, five-year GSA contract for analytical chemistry services. The award has a performance period from September 2019 to September 2020, with a four-year extension thereafter in support of NOAA, National Ocean Service (NOS) and National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS).

The project builds on three previous five-year projects for the NOAA National Status and Trends Program (NS&T) Mussel Watch Program. NOAA’s Mussel Watch Program is a key part of U.S. coastal monitoring infrastructure. At the regional level, the Mussel Watch Program works with federal, state and local stakeholders to provide relevant information to support decision making. The program is primarily recognized for its status and trends assessment of chemical contaminants measured in bivalve tissue (mussels and oysters) nationwide.

TDI-Brooks and B&B Laboratories will conduct the field sampling and trace organic analyses on tissues and sediments collected. The analytes of interest for this program are:

 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated homologs
 Chlorinated Pesticides
 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
 Polybrominated Flame Retardants (PBDEs and PPBs)
 Butyltins (BTs)

The Mussel Watch Project has been monitoring contaminants in bivalves and sediments since 1986 and is the longest active national contaminant monitoring program operating in U.S. coastal waters. Approximately 300 Mussel Watch sites are sampled on a biennial and decadal time scale for bivalve tissue and sediment, respectively.