Accutest Corp. is based in Dayton.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK -- A Dayton-based environmental testing company has reached a $5 million settlement with the federal and state government over claims that it failed to follow, and sometimes outright disregarded, proper testing procedures for soil and water samples.
Accutest Corp., which consults for government and private business clients, faced allegations that didn't shake samples of semi-volatile organic compounds enough times, didn't shake wastewater samples enough, didn't wait enough time between shakes, and failed to properly control for quality between 2011 and 2013, according U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
Accutest was also accused of altering settings on certain testing machines and disregarded calibration procedures, the feds said last week. The federal government announced its settlement of $3 million last week. The state, meanwhile, announced its $2 million settlement Thursday.
The agreements resolve accusations that first arose from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Koroush Vaziri, an Accutest employee.
The company agreed to notify any clients of the alleged conduct, Fishman's office said.
"So much of DEP's actions, decisions and regulatory authority are dependent upon the reliability of the data we receive and assurances that the correct methodologies are being used to gather it," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in a written statement. "Any deviation from these prescribed methods by any laboratory we work with will not be tolerated."
In a written statement, the company's president and CEO, Dr. Karl Schoene, said:
"This settlement fully resolves allegations that have been under investigation by various government entities for some time. Prior to entering into this settlement, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection conducted a detailed review of Accutest's technical data, and the DEP determined that the all of Accutest's testing results are usable. We are very pleased with this determination as it confirms what we have believed since the allegations were first raised and resolved internally. Accutest is stronger today than in any point in recent history. We've made significant strategic transformations over the last several years, driving large investments in both data quality and performance, through enhancements to recruiting, training and technology. We're raising not only our performance, but the industry as a whole, to a new standard and we are proud to continue doing so."
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