The IQS Environmental Laboratory was created in 1996 and is dedicated to the analysis of persistent organic pollutants, especially dioxins, furans and PCBs. The laboratory is equiped with the necessary equipment for this kind of analyses, among which the coupling of gas chromatography to high-resolution mass spectrometry stands out.

In 1999, it was the first Spanish laboratory to obtain accreditation for the analysis of dioxins and furans in atmospheric emissions. In 2004 it was again the first laboratory accredited by ENAC for the analysis of dioxins and furans in food. These accreditations have been maintained up to the present day, and have been extended to other pollutants in a wide range of materials. In 2023 IQS extends ENAC accreditation in air emissions for the determination of PCB and PAH.

Dioxins and furans are a family of complex chemicals that are highly toxic at very low levels. They are a subset of what are considered persistent environmental pollutants. They originate mainly as unwanted by-products of certain industrial processes (smelting, incineration, pulp bleaching and other reactions involving chlorine compounds). They are found in the environment and due to their persistence they accumulate along the food chain, especially in adipose tissue due to their solubility in fats.

The analysis of dioxins and other persistent organic pollutants is important for human health, both from an environmental and food safety point of view.