FDA's mobile laboratories are part of the agency's nationwide
network of laboratories, where scientists are continually
testing food and drugs for contaminants. The chemistry mobile
lab is shown here on the road near its base of operations in
Jefferson, Ark. This modified 44-foot trailer is one of three
units that make up FDA's chemistry mobile laboratory. This
34-foot command center, outfitted in a modified motor home, is
part of FDA's chemistry mobile laboratory. Two other units, the
sample preparation unit and the analytical unit, complete the
lab. An FDA scientist, who doubles as a driver, loads cable
covers into the chemistry mobile laboratory. The covers protect
communication cables, water hoses, and other cabling necessary
to run the lab equipment. Hitching a 22,000-pound laboratory
trailer to the truck that will haul it is part of a mobile
laboratory scientist's job. FDA's scientists are jacks-of-all-
trades: they set up and tear down lab components, maintain
sensitive testing equipment, troubleshoot p