text: Chapter 9
  Laboratory Services
  This chapter discusses environmental and clinical medical laboratory services.
  SECTION I — AREA MEDICAL LABORATORY SUPPORT
  9-1. The AML includes capabilities in the identification and theater validation of suspect CBRN agents,
  endemic diseases, and OEH hazards. Its focus is the total health environment of the operational area, not
  individual patient care.
  9-2. The AML is the Army’s specialized theater laboratory that deploys worldwide as a unit or by task-
  organized teams to perform surveillance, analytical laboratory testing and health hazard assessments of
  environmental, occupational, endemic, and CBRN threats in support of Soldier protection and weapons of
  mass destruction missions.
  FIELD ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY
  9-3. The AML tests air, water, soil, food, waste, and vectors (insects, animals) for a broad range of
  microbiological, radiological, and/or chemical contaminants under two basic scenarios:
  * As a field environmental laboratory (theater validation) in support of theater operations. The AML
  provides—
   Theater validation level of identification to enable commanders and health care providers to
  make data-based decisions.
   Support to multiple medical detachments (preventive medicine and veterinary services) with
  surveillance/surveillance oversight, sample collection/sample management, and rapid
  laboratory analysis and validation.
  * In contingency operations (for example, after use of weapons of mass destruction), the AML
  provides—
   Immediate hazard identification (presumptive or field confirmatory level of identification) in
  high risk environments with chemical or biological agent contamination, epidemic disease, or
  industrial contamination.
   Rapid laboratory analysis and theater validation level of identification to assist commanders
  in making operational decisions.
  9-4. The AML is organized into teams consisting of the following:
  * The staff (headquarters) section provides command, control, and communications support for the
  unit and accomplishes all required administrative functions of the unit.
  * The analytical chemistry (CBRN) section conducts analytical chemistry support by providing
  identification of chemical agents in the environment to include food, water, plants, soil, and
  explosives.
  * The microbiology (endemic) section conducts biological agent analysis using multiple
  methodologies, provides identification of endemic disease agents, and supports animal pathology
  and endemic disease surveillance.
  * The OEH surveillance (CBRN) section provides identification for environmental samples and
  clinical specimens using multiple methodologies. This section also provides diagnostic capability
  to identify outbreaks of regionally specific endemic diseases and serves as a resource of
  information for higher-level command medical personnel. This section also provides the