Using reference materials to improve the quality of data generated by USEPA analytical methods

The quality of data generated for the analysis of environmental samples is critical to State and Federal regulatory agencies to ensure that decisions based upon the amounts of contaminants in environmental samples are truly protective of public health. The quality and validation of these measurement...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science--processes & impacts 2016-12, Vol.18 (12), p.1477-1483
Main Authors: Nagourney, S. J, Wilson, S. A, Long, S. E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environmental Monitoring - standards
Humans
Quality Control
Reference Standards
Soil - chemistry
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Soil Pollutants - standards
United States
United States Environmental Protection Agency
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Summary:The quality of data generated for the analysis of environmental samples is critical to State and Federal regulatory agencies to ensure that decisions based upon the amounts of contaminants in environmental samples are truly protective of public health. The quality and validation of these measurements using the approved analytical methodology could be significantly enhanced by incorporating certified reference materials as part of the quality control protocols, yet this has not been widely implemented. Data from certified reference materials can provide critical information that can impact assessments regarding data use that is unavailable by other means. Using the analysis of Cr( vi ) in soil extracts as the test case, some of the issues surrounding the use of certified reference materials for environmental applications are discussed in this paper, including the relative cost, and the availability and applicability regarding element coverage and content. The quality of data generated for the analysis of environmental samples is critical to State and Federal regulatory agencies to ensure that decisions based upon the amounts of contaminants in environmental samples are truly protective of public health.
ISSN:2050-7887
2050-7895
2050-7895
DOI:10.1039/c6em00438e