The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has added, by emergency rule, screening for Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase 1A deficiency (CPT1A) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) to the Wisconsin Newborn Screening Program’s panel of conditions. This rule will go into effect once it is published in the Wisconsin State Journal, which is expected to occur on October 15, 2019. Every infant born in a hospital is required to have CPT1A and SMA screening prior to discharge.Babies born out of hospital are also required to be screened.

For more important information on this rule please see the following links:

WI-DHS & WSLH Joint Letter

Fact Sheet for Physicians

Letter for Parents

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) Specimen Receiving Departments will be open for deliveries on Saturday, August 31st, as usual.

Henry Mall Specimen Receiving will be open on Monday, September 2nd, for Newborn Screening Specimens ONLY.

Agriculture Drive Specimen Receiving will be closed. Please see hours of operation below.

As always, if there is an emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Answering Service at 608-263-3280.

 

 

For more than a year, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Director and University of Wisconsin-Madison Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Jamie Schauer has served as a U.S. Science Envoy for Air Quality on behalf of the U.S. State Department.

During the week of July 23, 2019, Dr. Schauer is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, meeting with government, non-governmental organization, and industry officials, as well as giving a public lecture at Dhaka University.

His trip has received significant media attention.

United News of Bangladesh – https://www.unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/us-envoy-for-integration-of-air-quality-solutions-with-sdgs/24461

Daily Star – https://www.thedailystar.net/city/news/air-quality-can-be-managed-without-compromising-economic-growth-1776742

Dhaka Tribune – https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2019/07/25/us-expert-for-better-technology-to-reduce-air-pollution-in-bangladesh

BD News 24 – https://m.bdnews24.com/amp/en/detail/environment/1647422

U.S. Science Envoys engage internationally at the citizen and government levels to enhance relationships between other nations and the United States, develop partnerships, and improve collaboration. Science Envoys leverage their international leadership, influence, and expertise in priority countries to advance solutions to shared science and technology challenges. Science Envoys travel as private citizens and help inform the Department of State, a variety of U.S. government agencies, and the scientific community about opportunities for science and technology cooperation.

As a Science Envoy for Air Quality, Schauer highlights American scientific strategies and technologies for mitigating poor air quality, with a focus on South Asia.

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the July 4th Independence Day holiday.

In observance of the holiday, we will be closed on Thursday, July 4th. We will NOT be receiving specimens on July 4th.

The WSLH Specimen Receiving Department will be open for deliveries as usual on Wednesday, July 3rd and Friday, July 5th.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

Please note the following changes to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s operations due to the observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

The table below lists the hours of operations for our Clinical Specimen Receiving departments. We will have staffing to accept clinical specimens at both our 2601 Agriculture Drive and our 465 Henry Mall facilities on Saturday, May 25th.

Henry Mall Specimen Receiving will be open on Monday, May 27th, for NEWBORN SCREENING SPECIMENS ONLY.

Agriculture Drive Specimen Receiving will be closed. Please see hours of operation below.

As always, if you have an off-hours emergency, please call the WSLH Emergency Pager at 608-263-3280.

 

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Forensic Toxicology Section and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services are pleased to offer free, regional trainings for Coroners, Medical Examiners, and Partners throughout Wisconsin.

Training will be from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM at the following locations:

May 21st – GREEN BAY – Hyatt Regency

July 17th – RICE LAKE – Holiday Inn Express & Suites

August 21st – TOMAH – Cranberry Country Lodge

Please see the agenda for more information and please use this link to register online — 2019 Regional Training registration

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact a Toxicology Supervisor at the WSLH: toxsups@slh.wisc.edu

In 2018 more than 300 people in multiple states experienced life-threatening uncontrolled bleeding and 8 people died. The cause – synthetic cannabinoids laced with brodifacoum, a very potent rat poison.

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene’s response to this outbreak and the development of a quantitative test by WSLH Chemical Emergency Response Unit Chemists Bill Krick and Erin Meinholz is the focus of a “Lab Culture” podcast from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).

Listen here — http://www.aphlblog.org/lab-culture-extra-wisconsin-state-lab-developed-test-brodifacoum-matters/

More information about this event – Webinar: Fake Dope and Rat Poison – Bleeding Disorders Associated with the use of Synthetic Marijuana in WI

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) is developing a new seminar support initiative to encourage cross-disciplinary research, exchange of ideas, and to develop new opportunities. As a test of the feasibility and interest we have reached out to multiple UW-Madison programs to schedule co-sponsored seminars as well as lab tours and meetings with WSLH staff. We have had great success with the outreach and have been able to schedule three great speakers this semester. All talks are free and open to the public.

 

March 29th

Speaker: Heather Carleton, MPH, PhD, Bioinformatics and Metagenomics (BioMe) Team Lead in the Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

PulseNet Enteric Bacteria Surveillance Using Whole Genome Sequencing: A One Health Approach

Date/Time: Friday, March 29, 2019, from Noon – 1:00 PM

Location: Room 2350, UW School of Veterinary Medicine, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison (UW Campus map)

Sponsored by: School of Veterinary Medicine, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

 

April 15 and 16th

Speaker: Scott Grosse, PhD, Research Economist with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Autism Insurance Mandates and Healthcare Expenditures for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Employer-Sponsored Plans, 2007-2014

Date/Time: Monday, April 15, 2019, from Noon – 1:00 PM

Location: Room 1335 Health Sciences Learning Center, 750 Highland Ave., Madison (UW Campus map)

To view the live stream: http://live.videos.med.wisc.edu/

How to Demonstrate Value in Newborn Screening: Consider Your Stakeholders

Date/Time: Tuesday, April 16, 2019, from Noon – 1:00 PM

Location: Room 213 WI State Laboratory of Hygiene, 465 Henry Mall, Madison (UW Campus map)

Sponsored by: Population Health Sciences Department/School of Medicine and Public Health, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

 

April 19th

Speaker: Eve-Lyn Hinckley, PhD, University of Colorado Boulder – Department of Environmental Studies, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research

Date/Time: Friday, April 19, 2019, from 3:00 – 4:00 PM

Location: Room 184 Russell Labs, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison (UW Campus map)

Sponsored by: Forest and Wildlife Ecology Department/College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) has been accepted into the National Biomonitoring Network (NBN) as a Tier 2 laboratory.

The NBN is facilitated by the Association of Public Health Laboratories. It is a collaboration of federal, regional, state and local laboratories that conduct biomonitoring for use in public health practice and in response to environmental emergencies.

The goals of the NBN are to advance the science of biomonitoring, encourage its use in addressing environmental health questions and ensure quality practices, which will help produce comparable biomonitoring data.

The Network is currently divided into 3 tiers. Tier 2 laboratories such as the WSLH –

• Are engaged in biomonitoring activities related to targeted and emergency response.
• Have demonstrated successful participation in an established quality assessment program.
• Have a well-established biomonitoring team integrated within the state public health system.

Learn more at https://www.aphl.org/programs/environmental_health/nbn/Pages/default.aspx

 

What is Biomonitoring?

According to APHL, “Biomonitoring is the process of testing people for chemicals in their body to determine how exposure might impact their health.” Watch this short video to learn more – https://vimeo.com/280827005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Environmental Science Day 2019 was held on Thursday, February 21st and featured a variety of presentations from Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) staff, as well as from Professor Dan Vimont with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research.

Recordings of Science Day 2019 talks are archived at https://www.slh.wisc.edu/science-day-2019/