IHCantabria maintains ENAC accreditation for testing in the environmental sector, in biological, physical and chemical analysis.

The Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the University of Cantabria (IHCantabria) has been accredited by the ENAC (Entidad Nacional de Acreditación) since 2014, which is a great recognition of the technical competence of this institute for testing in the environmental sector, according to the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025, CGA-ENAC-LEC standard. IHCantabria decided to broaden the scope of its ENAC accreditation to perform biological analysis, both sampling and laboratory of invertebrate benthic fauna (organisms that live at the bottom of water bodies, among stones and other sediments) and aquatic flora (such as phytobenthic organisms), in addition to the calculation of quality indexes in watercourses. In May 2023, IHLab Bio’s management system was reassessed and, on July 28th, the ENAC Accreditation Commission agreed to maintain accreditation no. 1111/LE2148 to IHCantabria.

ENAC accreditation allows this institute to show an image of quality and technical solvency at national and international level, because this recognition generates confidence in the performance of its testing laboratories, which is very important for inspection entities, environmental verifiers and the most prestigious scientific journals. The confidence generated by accredited laboratories is a great support when applying for research projects that demand more accurate results. In addition, several European directives, laws and state decrees indicate that, for the analytical monitoring of the quality of water, sediments and living beings, it is advisable to rely on laboratories that have implemented the EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard, in order to ensure the quality and comparability of the results.

National Accreditation Body in Spain

ENAC is the National Accreditation Entity in Spain, which is in charge of evaluating the technical competence of laboratories, certification or inspection entities, verifiers, etc. ENAC accreditation generates confidence in the market, the administration and society with respect to the control of products and services. In the environmental sector, this type of accreditation has a strong national and international implication. At the national level, it implies the recognition of the administration, with decisions based on the results that come from the laboratory and that are transcendent for the citizens, which is fundamental in cases of conflict between the parties.

This recognition is also important at the international level, since ENAC is the Spanish member of the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA), the organization recognized by the European Union to coordinate the European accreditation infrastructure, with mutual recognition agreements in any part of the world.

Relevance of the IHCantabria Hydrobiology Laboratory (IHLab Bio)

IHLab Bio is the first UC laboratory to be accredited from “in situ” environmental parameters, in addition to physical and chemical parameters determined in a permanent laboratory, in continental and marine waters, as well as from biological analyses.

IHLab Bio has carried out a thorough work to develop and validate test methods, as well as to establish a quality management procedure. Periodically, this laboratory is subjected to certain audits performed by specialized technicians, who verify that the methods used are adequate, which implies constantly adapting the processes to comply with the requirements. These audits are carried out annually by ENAC and, every 5 years, the laboratory’s competence is re-evaluated by means of an audit similar to the initial one.

IHLab Bio has an infrastructure of 1,235 m2 and offers several services, such as environmental sampling; marine, transitional and inland water analysis; sediment and biological analysis; field and laboratory experimentation. It is declared as a collaborating entity of the Hydraulic Administration, in matters of control and surveillance of water quality and management of discharges into the public hydraulic domain. It is also part of the Central Services (SCI) of the University of Cantabria and continues with its research and training of research personnel. Detailed information about IHLab Bio’s features and services can be accessed through the following link.