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Ann Arbor company receives small business contract for new environmental technology

Release Date: 06/13/2006
Contact Information: Karen Thompson (312) 353-8547 Thompson.Karen@epa.gov

For Immediate Release
No. 06-OPA98

CHICAGO (June 13, 2006) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently announced that IA Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., has been awarded a $70,000 contract for its technology to monitor perchlorate in the field. The company is one of ten in Region 5 that in total received more than $1 million in funding from the 2006 Small Business Innovation Research program.

Perchlorate is a widely used component of solid fuel, missile and rocket propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics and many dry cleaning solutions that reduces iodide uptake into the human thyroid gland. The company recognized the need for monitoring of perchlorate in ground and surface waters to test waste matter and determine cleanup levels. The resulting instrument is suitable for field and laboratory use.

The 22 million small businesses in the United States employ about 51 percent of the private work force and develop most of the country’s new technologies. Years ago, Congress recognized the need to strengthen the role of small businesses in federally funded research and development and passed a law creating the Small Business Innovation Research program for businesses with no more than 500 employees. EPA’s highly competitive SBIR program offers critical financial support to small businesses to develop the technologies in areas of environmental protection including clean air and water, hazardous and solid wastes, pollution prevention, remediation and monitoring. Recent issues also include homeland security.

To learn more about these research projects and EPA’s SBIR program, visit: http:www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir. EPA relies on quality science as the basis for sound policy and decision-making.

EPA’s laboratories, research centers and grantees are building the scientific foundation needed to support the Agency’s mission to safeguard human health and the environment.