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A Brief History of NYAAEL
Before 1978, state certification was non-existent. The State Health Department had many ideas, but had no definite program for lab directors to follow. After much discussion between lab directors around the state, it was felt that an association should be formed to help deal with the many problems being encountered. Because Doug Friend was chairman of the Lab Practices Committee for the New York State Food and Sanitarians Association, it was suggested that he try to organize a meeting for all those interested. He began by speaking to Herb Swift, director of the New York State Environmental Health Department, and he agreed that we needed an association to coordinate our ideas and to help standardize testing procedures. The Health Department would be glad to participate in the meetings once we were functioning; they could not, however, help us get started.
In the fall of 1978, we had our first meeting and it was well attended by 125 lab personnel. The number present indicated that indeed this was an idea whose time had come.
Charles Costello and Doug Friend began the meeting by explaining the need for the association. It would be an educational association that would keep labs informed of policy changes and laws and to conduct work shops and training sessions. When the meeting adjourned, it appeared that we had the foundation for a vital organization. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. The next meeting was never called and we had to begin again.
In the fall of 1979, another meeting was scheduled. Only about 25 people attended, but within the 25 there was a strong core of committed members. Doug Friend was appointed president, and Charles Costello vice-president. The next hurdle was to develop the association's by-laws. The By-Laws Committee, with Ted Tifft as chairman, soon presented them to the association in the form we used until just recently. The renewed interest in the association was apparent, as was the member's desire for it to succeed.
After several meetings, members from the New York Metropolitan/Long Island area left to form a Down State Association, leaving our association to be the Up State unit. The two associations were to communicate with each other and on special occasions, would attend each other's meetings.
The Down State Association only functioned for about two years before it was disbanded due to insufficient interest. Some of their members, however, did continue to participate in the Up State meetings. Finally, in 1980, they officially joined the group, thus unifying the association into a single unit.
1980 brought an opportunity for the newly formed association to utilize their bargaining power. At that time, the State Health Department did not have a program in place to assist the labs. They felt that the analyses were not being performed properly, nor could the results be relied on.
Unknown to the association, the Health Department proposed the construction of four regional labs to be built across the state, with the proposed building to be funded by grant money. The labs would be staffed and supervised by the Health Department. Eventually the work performed by private labs would be absorbed by the state. Through a rumor, this information came to the attention of Doug Friend who called an emergency session of the association. The group felt that they needed to respond quickly. If indeed the regional lab concept became a reality, the private sector would not only lose work, but would be paying taxes to keep the regional labs operating.
This kind of situation was what the association had been formed for, but with only $780.82 in the treasury, there was no money to obtain legal counsel. When the situation became known, however, New York State Electric & Gas generously provided the services of their attorney, and through his efforts, the regional lab proposal was dropped by the state. At this point we knew that NYAAEL was a viable reality.
The state then began to develop its certification program and through the years has done a remarkable job. The New York Department of Health has been a leader in environmental regulations and has gained respect throughout the country. We often think back to that day in August 1980 when we first heard the rumor about regional labs, and wonder what kind of an analytical program we would have today if NYAAEL had never existed. The association has been an asset to both the laboratories and the Health Department. We are all grateful for what NYAAEL has accomplished and we all hope that it will continue to be here for many years to come.
