Services
DELAWARE PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY

What is the DELAWARE 		The Delaware Public Health Laboratory (DPHL) is a vital testing
PUBLIC HEALTH			and diagnostic arm of the Delaware Division of Public Health. 
LABORATORY? 			
				Using laboratory expertise and state-of-the-art technologies, the 
				DPHL provides accurate and timely analytical data, information 
				and consultation to protect and enhance the health of the 	
				people of Delaware.  The DPHL tests for chemical and 	
				biological threats to health and safety and monitors the 	
				emergence of drug-resistant bacteria to prevent the spread of 
				infection and save lives.  Health care providers depend on test 
				results to inform and treat their patients. 

				The DPHL was established in April 1899 at the Delaware 	
				College campus in Newark (now the University of Delaware).

Services provided: 		1.)  Chemical Preparedness – This laboratory tests clinical    
				samples for toxic chemicals, cyanide, nerve agents and 	
				heavy metals at trace levels.  This laboratory provides 	
				guidance to sentinel (hospital) laboratories, as well as 	
				agricultural, environmental, academic and industry 	   
     			     	laboratories.
						
				2.)  Drinking Water - Environmental Chemistry and 
				Bacteriology – This laboratory tests drinking water for 
				bacteria and chemicals to ensure that water is safe to drink. 
				Samples from private wells are tested for alkalinity, calcium 
				hardness, nitrate, nitrite, iron, sodium, sulfate, total coliforms 
				and E. coli.  Public water supplies are tested for inorganic 
				and organic chemicals, trace metals, total coliforms and E. 
				coli. 

				3.)  Microbiology – This laboratory identifies sexually 
				transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea and 
				Chlamydia in blood, urine and other fluid samples.  This lab 
				also tests for Tuberculosis (TB) and bacteria such as 
				Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli, which are associated with 
				foodborne illnesses.  An increasingly important role of this 
				laboratory is detecting drug-resistant bacteria to identify the 
				development of newly resistant strains.  The Microbiology 
				Lab identifies gastrointestinal parasites.  It can test 
				environmental and clinical samples for agents of 
				bioterrorism, such as Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis 
				(plague) and Francisella tularensis. 

				4.)  Newborn Screening – This laboratory tests for genetic and 
				metabolic diseases in every Delaware newborn to prevent 
				mental retardation, serious illness, and even death.  Babies 
				born in Delaware receive a heel stick, through which a blood 
				sample is obtained on a special filter paper card.  The blood 
				is analyzed for 37 different genetic and metabolic disorders 
				including: cystic fibrosis, congenital hypothyroidism, sickle 
				cell disease and other major hemoglobinopathies, congenital 
				adrenal hyperplasia, galactosemia, and amino acid disorders 
				(e.g. phenylketonuria (PKU) and maple syrup urine disease.

				5.)  Molecular Virology – This laboratory identifies viruses and 
				viral infections by testing samples from blood, urine and 
				other body fluids. The Lab tests for HIV-1, herpes, hepatitis, 
				West Nile and other arboviruses, influenza and Norovirus.


Can the public			No, the public should not deliver samples to the DPHL.  Patient 
deliver samples?		samples are collected at the direction of health care providers, 
				or epidemiologists investigating disease outbreaks.  Each day, 
				DPHL’s courier system transports specimens from numerous 
				health care provider sites throughout the state. 


Is the Delaware Public		Yes, the Delaware Public Health Laboratory is certified by the
Health Laboratory 		Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) under 
certified?			CLIA; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the 	
				Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  DPHL is also a reference 
				laboratory in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 	
				Prevention’s (CDC) Laboratory Response Network.

Where is it located?		The Delaware Public Health Laboratory is located at 30 	
				Sunnyside Rd., Smyrna, Delaware 19977.  It is on the campus 
				of the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill, on the corner of 
				U.S. Route 13.

For more information:		Call the Delaware Public Health Laboratory at (302) 223-1520. 
				Routine operating hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. 
				Fax (302) 653-2877.


 
24/7 Emergency Contact Number:  1-302-223-1520
Revised: 05/2010