OUR CONTRIBUTION TO CUTTING-EDGE AIR QUALITY RESEARCH

Airborne pollutants are produced by a variety of anthropogenic sources, including industrial processes and power generation.  Over recent decades in the UK, a lot of attention has also focused on vehicle emissions, but primarily those associated with the combustion process, ie. tailpipe exhaust emissions. 

Butterworth Laboratories has contributed data to an inter-laboratory study into brake wear emissions from road vehicles conducted by the National Physical Laboratory.

To read the full News Publication.  Click Here

SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE INVISIBLE: UNLOCKING THE POWER OF HPLC-ELSD DETECTION

In the world of analytical chemistry, not everything worth measuring is easy to see.  Many compounds lack chromophores, making them invisible to traditional UV detectors.  This is where HPLC-ELSD steps in, offering a powerful, versatile solution for detecting analytes that would otherwise go unnoticed.

To read our Latest Blog.  Click Here

REPORT ON MAKING PHARMACEUTICALS 2026

We’re pleased to report that we had an excellent time at this year’s exhibition, which, for the first time, also incorporated Making Nutraceuticals.

Attendance this year increased significantly.  In total, we had around 35 visitors to the site, and spoke to about 25 current or potential new clients.  There was also the opportunity to talk with other contract testing laboratories and attend a number of seminars given by organisations such as the MHRA.

The incorporation of Making Nutraceuticals attracted a broader audience.  It also allowed us to engage with new exhibitors and gain further insight into their analytical requirements.

From 2027, the organisers have confirmed that the exhibition will move to the NEC, where they plan to expand the scope and coverage in future years.

Following the success of this year’s event, Butterworth is planning to exhibit in 2027 and would encourage all our clients who did not attend this year to attend and come and talk to us at next year’s event.

JPAG MEETING 18-19 May 2026 

The next event that Butterworth will be exhibiting at is a 2-day Symposium held in conjunction with The Chromatography Society, titled ‘The Chromatographic (Analytical) Method Life Cycle (2026): From Cradle to Grave III’.   

The meeting aims to provide clear insight into successful strategies across a range of critical areas.  The meeting will give attendees a way to share real experiences with other professionals and offer excellent networking opportunities.

We look forward to meeting with the speakers, clients, and potential clients, to provide information on the Chromatography and other Techniques we offer.  

Future JPAG Meetings in 2026, which we will also be exhibiting at, include:

• Analytical Method Technology Transfers – 9th July 2026
• Sampling and Sample Preparation: The Cornerstones of Analytical Strategy and Successful Method Development – 1st October 2026

All JPAG Meetings are held at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, London

CHEMUK EXPO 2026

Mala Patel and Hala Suleman will be attending this event at the NEC as delegates on Thursday, 21st May.  This event provides us with the opportunity to speak with clients and potential clients in the UK Chemicals sector, who are often suppliers to the Pharmaceutical industry.

If you are attending or exhibiting and would like to arrange a time to meet with Mala and Hala at the NEC, please email: business@butterworth-labs.co.uk

COLIN WARD  1972 – 2026

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Colin Ward, our Head of IT, passed away recently.  

He started at Butterworth in 2012 as a Systems Administrator, then became Head of IT six years later.   Having started his career as a chemist in the soap and surfactant industry, he returned to university to complete a degree in Computer Science and study for a PhD in Artificial Intelligence.

He will be fondly remembered and missed by all those who knew him, and our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Airborne pollutants are produced by a variety of anthropogenic sources including industrial processes and power generation. Over recent decades in the UK, a lot of attention has also focused on vehicle emissions, but primarily those associated with the combustion process, i.e. tailpipe exhaust emissions. Road transport also generates non-exhaust emissions (NEE), such as those generated by erosion of vehicle components like brakes and tyres, or road surface wear and re-suspended dust¹. The UK Health Forum estimates that air pollution-related diseases cost the NHS more than £2 billion in medical expenses and kill over 30,000 people in the UK each year², so there is an established need to measure and characterise these pollutants.

Butterworth Laboratories has contributed data to an inter-laboratory study into brake wear emissions from road vehicles conducted by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL)³. A novel sampling apparatus was developed to collect brake wear particulate samples from vehicles. These samples were sent to four separate laboratories across academia and industry.

For this study, the brake wear samples were subjected to microwave digestion in acid, then tested for heavy metals by ICP-MS. The Butterworth results were in close agreement with those from the other laboratories, supporting method development for the study.

Reproduced with kind permission from NPL³

Following the introduction of Euro 7 standards in November 2026, limits will be set on brake particulate emissions for the first time⁴. The current study underpins the capability to collect samples and provide high-quality measurements of brake wear chemical composition in support of public health, national atmospheric emissions inventory benchmarking and the UK’s commitment to Net Zero.

Jody Cheong from NPL presented the study as a poster at STEM for Britain 2026 in Parliament and received a Silver Award. This work has clearly made an impact, so congratulations, Jody!

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7439988592472555520

Butterworth Laboratories are proud of the contribution our analytical testing is making to the field of air quality research.

Sharon Goddard – QC Officer

References

1. Goddard, S. L., Williams, K. R., Robins, C. et al. Determination of antimony and barium in UK air quality samples as indicators of non-exhaust traffic emissions. Environ Monit Assess 191, 641 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7774-8

2. Public Health England (2018), Health matters: Air pollution. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-air-pollution/health-matters-air-pollution

3. Cheong J. H. L. et al. (2026) The Path to Cleaner Air: A Pioneering Inter-Laboratory Study on Brake Wear Emissions from Road Vehicles. https://stemforbritain.org.uk/posters-awards-2026/jc26_POS.pdf

4. Vehicle emissions and battery durability (Euro 7): technical requirements and certification rules. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/vehicle-emissions-and-battery-durability-euro-7-technical-requirements-and-certification-rules.html

WE’RE EXHIBITING AT MAKING PHARMACEUTICALS 2026

Join us at Stand 611 at Making Pharmaceuticals 2026 

We’re excited to be exhibiting at Making Pharmaceuticals 2026, taking place at the Coventry Building Society Arena on 21–22 April 2026.

Whether you’re exploring new partnerships or looking to optimise your current testing strategy, we’d love to connect. The event is free to attend, and our team –  John Welch, Mala Patel, and Adam Dempsey – will be on hand to discuss how Butterworth Laboratories can support your analytical testing needs with quality, reliability and expertise.

To make the most of your visit, book a meeting in advance at Business@butterworth-labs.co.uk, or simply stop by Stand 611 – we look forward to seeing you there.

BALANCING INNOVATION AND ACCESSABILITY IN AMINO ACID TESTING

A short article published by Manufacturing Chemist, written by John Welch – Associate Director Business Operations, on Butterworth’s use of on using  a dedicated Amino Acid Analyser to enable them  to provide verified testing for all listed amino acids in the European Pharmacopoeia monographs.

ANALYTICAL INSIGHTS – RECENT BLOGS

We have published a number of blogs in March, including these two:

Safely Managing Highly Hazardous Reagents, Hydrofluoric Acid in Pharmacopoeia Testing 

In the world of pharmacopoeia testing, not all reagents are created equal, and some require exceptional care.  

Senior Analytical Chemist, Meghann Simcock, dives into how Butterworth Laboratories expertly handle highly hazardous reagents, such as Hydrofluoric Acid (HF), and gases, such as hydrogen sulfide and chlorine, to deliver accurate, compliant results without compromising safety.

The pMDI Propellant of Tomorrow: Regulatory History and the Emergence of HFO 1234ze(E)

The shift to climate-friendly propellants is gathering momentum, but it also increases analytical complexity and makes more demands on internal laboratory resources.

In our latest blog, Consultant Chemist – Chromatography, Frank Judge explores what this transition means and how companies can stay ahead while maintaining compliance and timelines.

To see all our Blogs and Subscribe to them, click: Here

Essential aspects to consider when selecting a service provider

John Welch, our Associate Director, Business Operations, shared his perspective on the considerations and benefits of outsourcing raw material testing with Pharma Services Hub. The article is a practical guide to selecting the right service providers for material testing. It covers critical aspects to consider when outsourcing, including choosing fit-for-purpose analytical methods, detecting low-level impurities, ensuring method robustness and regulatory alignment, and mitigating supplier variability. Whether you’re evaluating capacity, expertise, or technical capabilities, these insights help make informed decisions and build confidence in every batch.

Read the full article on outsourcing raw material testing here.

DORIS BUTTERWORTH AWARD

Since 2023, Butterworth Laboratories has proudly sponsored the Doris Butterworth Award, presented to the student who has demonstrated outstanding performance throughout their Analytical Chemistry course at Kingston University.   This year’s award went to Ryan, who recently graduated with an MSc in Analytical Chemistry and Mala and John were delighted to present the award to Ryan at the graduation ceremony on 22 January.  Ryan discussed his project, which involved using ICP-MS to analyse public water sources in London for heavy metal contamination. He has agreed to write a short synopsis of this work, which we will publish on our website upon receipt.  

HARMITT GILL 1969 – 2026

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Harmit Gill, a member of our General Lab for over 18 years, recently passed away.  He will be fondly remembered and missed by all those who knew him, and our thoughts go out to his family.

Meghann Simcock, one of our Senior Analytical Chemists, describes how careful sample preparation, advanced instrumentation, and rigorous quality controls at Butterworth Laboratories ensure accurate, compliant, and reliable Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) results across a wide range of materials and regulatory requirements.  Read her Blog here to find out more.  Click Here

HOW DID BUTTERWORTH PERFORM IN 2025?

We have always strived to provide the highest levels of customer service, and we are keen to listen to our clients’ feedback to help us do better in the future.  We would therefore appreciate it if you could take 3 minutes to complete a short survey.  It can be completed anonymously, and every piece of feedback is important to us.  To participate in the Survey: Click Here. Thank you for your cooperation.

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM BUTTERWORTH LABORATORIES

Having completed our 50^th Anniversary year in 2024, our theme for 2025 was laying down the foundations for our future. We understand how important it is for our customers to be able to rely on us to deliver high-quality services on time and, to do this, it is essential that we have the capacity and the best possible facilities.

Work has now started on the latest phase of our site modernisation project, which will create additional laboratory space and well-equipped modern facilities.  A major influence on the design of this new build is our goal to have a minimal environmental impact together with high levels of sustainability.  In addition to its energy-efficient design, the building will also feature PV panels capable of generating 20 kW of electricity.  Although this initial capacity won’t be enough to cover our entire consumption, it can be expanded further as and when we complete future stages of our site’s redevelopment.  Another feature is the air conditioning, which is designed to extract the surplus heat emitted from our instruments and then use it to warm the office areas.  We will provide you with an update when the work is completed in 2026.

This year, we have continued to fine-tune our processes to ensure we can deliver even better levels of service. We always welcome visits from our clients, as they enable us to demonstrate our capabilities, professionalism, knowledge, and expertise.  This year, it was a pleasure to host 34 client audits, all of which had very successful outcomes with very few observations raised.  If you are an existing client or considering using our services for the first time, why not contact our QA team to arrange a visit in 2026?

Our success in 2025 has not only been down to the excellent people we have at Butterworth, but also to our wonderful clients.  We would like to thank you all for your continued support and for using our services in 2025.  On behalf of us all at Butterworth Laboratories, we look forward to continuing to work with you throughout 2026 and beyond.

Wishing you a lovely Christmas period and a prosperous 2026.

2026 PRICES

We have been working hard to keep our costs under control and improve our efficiency to ensure we can keep our charges to a minimum without sacrificing our high levels of quality and service.  Inevitably, though, we need to keep pace with the current rate of inflation and because of this, our charges will increase by 3.5% on the 1st of January.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY OPENING TIMES

• We will be closed from noon 24th December 2025 to 9 am 2nd January 2026
• The deadline for sample receipt is 5 pm on 23rd December 2025
• Fast turnaround work can only be arranged by prior agreement.

    Please contact info@butterworth-labs.co.uk

RICHMOND BUSINESS AWARDS 2025

We are delighted to announce that Butterworth was awarded the Environmental Sustainability Award at the Richmond Upon Thames Business Awards on Friday, 5th December. This recognition reflects our own sustained efforts to minimise environmental impact and to embed sustainable practices across every aspect of our operations.

We also received the following awards:

• Best Professional Practice Award – Highly Commended
• Best Customer Service Award – Highly Commended
• Best Training and Development – Highly Commended
• Best Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility – Commended
• Best Business Award – Commended

To be acknowledged across such a wide range of categories, from innovation and sustainability to customer service, training and community impact, is a powerful endorsement of our culture and values.

We are pleased to announce that at the Richmond Upon Thames Business Awards held on Friday, 5th December, we were winners of the Environmental Sustainability award. Reflecting the efforts made by the company in their efforts to minimise our environmental impact and to promote sustainable practices across all aspects of our operations.

We also received the following awards:

• Best Professional Practice Award – Highly Commended
• Best Customer Service Award – Highly Commended
• Best Training and Development – Highly Commended
• Best Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility – Commended
• Best Business Award – Commended

To be acknowledged across such a wide range of categories, from innovation and sustainability to customer service, training and community impact, is a powerful endorsement of our culture and values.

The Environmental Sustainability Award follows our recent successful EcoVadis assessment in October, which resulted in a Bronze Rating.

The Barrier Ionisation Discharge (BID) detector, introduced by Shimadzu in the early 2010s. Credit: Butterworth Laboratories/Shimadzu

The use of the barrier ionisation discharge (BID) detector is proving to be an impressive tool for detecting organic and inorganic compounds, permanent gases, and volatile solvents at trace levels.

Gas chromatography (GC) remains an indispensable analytical tool in the pharmaceutical industry, supporting tasks ranging from residual solvent analysis and headspace testing to process gas monitoring and excipient quality control. Yet, with increasing demands for trace-level quantitation, multi-component analysis, and regulatory-compliant testing, traditional GC detectors such as the Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD) or Flame Ionisation Detector (FID) often reach their performance limits. The Barrier Ionisation Discharge (BID) detector, introduced by Shimadzu in the early 2010s, is emerging as a powerful solution for these challenges. Leveraging dielectric barrier discharge plasma technology, BID combines universal detection, high sensitivity, and broad linear dynamic range, making it particularly relevant for pharmaceutical GC detection applications.

To read the full article published on Pharmaceutical Technology Website, Click Here

As we are approaching the festive season, we wanted to give something back to our valued customers. We know that there is always a rush to get results before the end of the year, and so we want to make sure that you receive yours in plenty of time before the upcoming break.

With that in mind, we would like to offer you a  5-day turnaround for the price of our standard 10-day service for all LC and GC work.

Just quote FESTIVE FINISH when you send your enquiry through to us, and if your work complies with the conditions listed below, we will do the rest to ensure a speedier than normal service.

Terms & Conditions for this Offer

1.  This offer is for Liquid Chromatography (LC) and Gas Chromatography (GC), including Headspace Gas Chromatography (GC-HS) tests only (Promotional Tests).
2.  Enquiries must contain the Promotion Code: FESTIVE FINISH, with samples received before the 1st of December 2025.
3.  This promotion is limited to LC and GC tests only (Promotional Tests).  If your requirements involve other tests, we may be able to provide the following options: Please enquire
    3.1.  If the lab capacity permits; carry out all tests to a 5-day turnaround (non-promotional tests will be charged at our standard fast turnaround rates – please enquire to find out more and to confirm lab availability), or
    3.2.  Complete the LC and/or GC tests to a 5-day turnaround, with all other tests being completed to our standard 10-day service (we may be able to provide earlier results for all tests, but this cannot be guaranteed).
4.  This promotion is limited to jobs for which we would normally be able to offer a 5-day turnaround.  Very large jobs or jobs requiring complex testing may not qualify for the promotion, and our quotes team will contact you immediately on receipt of your enquiry in these cases.
5.  Availability of this offer is dependent on laboratory capacity.
6.  Requirements for turnaround times faster than 5 days should be requested separately.

To Request a Quote: Click Here

The EDQM has updated Ph. Eur. monographs to detect ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol. Butterworth Laboratories supports compliance through validated chromatographic testing, impurity screening, and documentation—helping pharmaceutical companies ensure product safety and protect patient lives.

Read the article written by John Welch and published by Manufacturing Chemist, highlighting that this was an issue we commented on in 2023, that the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that more than 300 children had died in The Gambia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan in 2022 following the consumption of contaminated medicines.