Yes, Colorado has three different lab testing scandals. Here鈥檚 what you need to know

In The NoCo

Yes, Colorado has three different lab testing scandals. Here鈥檚 what you need to know

By In The NoCo,

Published January 14, 2025 at 5:35 AM MST

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This photo shows John Ingold, a health care reporter for The Colorado Sun, wearing a light blue button-down shirt and smiling for the camera with a white background behind him. — "The state really has a challenge on its hands, to make sure that people have faith in the scientific systems that underlie all these regulations and all of this work," says John Ingold, a reporter with The Colorado Sun.

You may have heard the recent news of a scandal involving state lab technicians who . The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment suspended further testing for now, saying the results couldn鈥檛 be trusted.

You may also have heard about bogus test results in monitoring for water contamination near .

On top of that, you might also recall hearing about at the state crime laboratory earlier this year. The issue potentially may have .

Colorado has multiple investigations into mishandling of data at several state labs. These scandals might make you wonder if you should be concerned about your health and safety.

鈥淭he thing that really connects them is that they all involve some element of science, and some element of the scientific process being subverted,鈥� says , reporter with The Colorado Sun who focuses on health and healthcare coverage.

He鈥檚 been following these stories and joined host Erin O鈥橳oole to offer some answers, and a bit of reassurance.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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