SGS Forensic Laboratories
Carson, California · NIST NVLAP · EPA NLLAP
At a glance
- Accredited to analyse
- asbestos: material samples by PLM; lead: paint chips, dust wipes, soil (what that means)
- Price
- not on the official list: ask the lab for a quote
- Turnaround
- not published: ask when you send samples
- Accreditation runs to
- June 30, 2027 (latest of its listed accreditations)
Lab facts
- Address
- 20535 S. Belshaw Ave., Carson, CA 90746 · Open in Google Maps
- Phone
- (510) 887-8828 (as printed on EPA’s NLLAP list)
- Tests listed for
- Asbestos, Lead
- Left blank on the list
- The official lists give no website for this site.
Copied from the official lists below. Business details only.
What this lab can test for you
- Asbestos testing: accredited to analyse pieces of popcorn ceiling, vinyl floor tile, pipe wrap or other building material.
- Not accredited for air samples by TEM: the nearest accredited lab site that is, LA Testing-Huntington Beach in Huntington Beach, CA, is 15 miles away.
- Lead paint testing: accredited to analyse paint chips scraped from walls, trim or windows; dust wipes from floors and window sills, the test used after renovation; soil from play areas and the drip line around the house.
From the accreditation scope on the official list; distances are straight lines between ZIP-code centres. Ask the lab which sample types it accepts by mail before you cut or wipe anything.
Accreditation record
- NIST NVLAP asbestos, lab code 101459-1: accredited for bulk samples by PLM; expires June 30, 2027 · 227 days left.
- EPA NLLAP lead: recognized for paint chips, dust wipes, soil, accredited by AIHA Laboratory Accreditation Programs; commercially available (list October, 2026 Round 132, Month 3 of 3).
Accreditation as listed by NIST NVLAP on November 7, 2026; confirm with the lab.
NIST NVLAP: Asbestos Fiber Analysis
Accreditation as listed by NIST NVLAP on November 7, 2026; confirm with the lab.
- Name on the list
- SGS Forensic Laboratories
- NVLAP lab code
- 101459-1
- Lab type
- Commercial Testing Service
- Accreditation expires
- June 30, 2027
- Bulk (PLM)
- Yes
- Airborne (TEM)
- No
Scope (test methods)
| Category | NVLAP method code | Test method as printed |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk Asbestos Analysis | 18/A01 | EPA -- 40 CFR Appendix E to Subpart E of Part 763, Interim Method of the Determination of Asbestos in Bulk Insulation Samples |
| Bulk Asbestos Analysis | 18/A03 | EPA 600/R-93/116: Method for the Determination of Asbestos in Bulk Building Materials |
Search the official NVLAP directory for lab code 101459-1 · NVLAP asbestos program page. Confirm the test you need with the lab before you send samples.
EPA NLLAP: lead
Accreditation as listed by EPA NLLAP on October 14, 2026; confirm with the lab.
- Name on the list
- SGS Forensic Laboratories, Inc.
- City on the list
- Carson
- Recognized for
- paint chips, dust wipes, soil
- Commercially available
- Yes
- Lab type
- Fixed Site
- Accrediting organization
- AIHA Laboratory Accreditation Programs
- List version
- October, 2026 Round 132, Month 3 of 3
Open EPA’s NLLAP list. The list prints no accreditation number or expiry date. Confirm the test you need with the lab before you send samples.
Other accreditations on record
- AIHA Laboratory Accreditation Programs, lab ID LAP-101629: industrial hygiene, including asbestos air samples (IHLAP); lead in paint, dust and soil (ELLAP); mold (EMLAP), valid to March 1, 2027 (106 days left). Scope as printed: “INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE; ENVIRONMENTAL LEAD; ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY” (certificate or directory entry).
From the accrediting body’s public directory, read November 15, 2026 and re-checked by a second reader. EPA’s lead list relies on these bodies but prints no ID or expiry date.
Also a certified drinking-water lab
A lab with the same name at the same ZIP code (or city) is on a state drinking-water certification list, so you may be able to test well water there too. Matched by name and location; confirm with the lab.
- SGS Built Environment · Carson · listed by CA (California ELAP - Accredited Laboratories (map layer) + per-lab Fields of Accreditation, version Map layer fetched 2026-11-15; scope PDF as of 11/1/2026)
Same firm, other accredited sites
3 sites of this firm in 2 states are on the NVLAP or NLLAP lists. Each site is accredited separately.
- SGS Forensic Laboratories · Hayward, CA · asbestos, lead
- SGS Forensic Laboratories · Las Vegas, NV · asbestos
Nearest other accredited labs
Asbestos testing
5 other accredited asbestos lab sites within 25 miles. Straight-line distance between ZIP-code centres.
| Lab site | Town | Distance | Prints a homeowner price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle Laboratory | Lawndale, CA | 6 mi | – |
| AQ Environmental Laboratories - Bulk Asbestos Fiber Analysis | Signal Hill, CA | 6 mi | – |
| Los Angeles Unified School District | Los Angeles, CA | 12 mi | – |
| Liberty EnviroLab | Cypress, CA | 13 mi | – |
| ENCORP | La Mirada, CA | 14 mi | – |
Lead paint testing
5 other accredited lead lab sites within 25 miles. Straight-line distance between ZIP-code centres.
| Lab site | Town | Distance | Prints a homeowner price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach Public Health Laboratory | Long Beach, CA | 10 mi | – |
| LA Testing-Huntington Beach | Huntington Beach, CA | 15 mi | – |
| AIH Laboratory | Anaheim, CA | 17 mi | Yes |
| Envirocheck, Inc. | Orange, CA | 22 mi | – |
| Envirocheck, Inc. | Burbank, CA | 22 mi | – |
Homes around this lab
Los Angeles County: 70% of 3,650,466 housing units were built before 1980, above the California share of 56% (Census ACS 2020–2024, table B25034). EPA links lead-based paint to homes built before 1978, and asbestos was common in building materials of that era. The ACS groups years by decade, so 1980 is the nearest cut.
Older homes within 25 miles
About 3,217,817 homes built before 1980 are in the 2 counties whose centre lies within 25 miles of this lab (Los Angeles County, Orange County).
- Asbestos testing: 16 accredited lab sites within 25 miles, about 201,114 older homes per site, more than the California figure of 174,386 older homes per listed site (47 sites).
- Lead paint testing: 6 accredited lab sites within 25 miles, about 536,303 older homes per site, about the same as the California figure of 546,409 older homes per listed site (15 sites).
Census ACS 2020–2024, table B25034; county centres are the mean of their ZIP-code points.
Water and housing around this lab
- Radon: Los Angeles County is EPA Zone 2, moderate radon potential (2 to 4 pCi/L). Renovation that opens floors or basements is a common time to test.
- Private wells: about 30,311 people, 0% of residents, drink from a private well (USGS 2015), the 57th highest share of 58 counties in California.
- Well-water testing: the nearest state-certified drinking-water lab that its state list marks as taking homeowner samples is SGS Built Environment, 1 miles away.
- Public drinking water: 131 public water systems serving Los Angeles County reported EPA UCMR 5 PFAS tests (2023–2026); 54 had a PFOA or PFOS result at or above 4.0 ng/L, the level EPA set for each in 2024; the highest result was at Liberty Utilities - Bellflower-Norwalk (PFOA 16 ng/L, PFOS 59 ng/L). These are water suppliers’ results, not private wells.
- Arsenic in private wells (USGS model): about 17,244 private-well users in Los Angeles County may drink water above 10 µg/L of arsenic (2010 base; a screening estimate, not a measurement).
County figures for Los Angeles County, CA, where this lab’s ZIP code lies: EPA radon zone map, USGS 2015 water-use and arsenic estimates, EPA UCMR 5 (public water systems), state drinking-water lab lists and our septic rule register.
Is this your lab?
Names, addresses and phone numbers come from the official lists, and the accrediting program can correct them. To tell us about a mistake, contact us.