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QUALITY CONTROL - VARIABILITY IN PROTOCOLS
Citation:
Simes*, G. F. QUALITY CONTROL - VARIABILITY IN PROTOCOLS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/9-91/034 (NTIS 93-157790), 1991.
Impact/Purpose:
Information.
Description:
The EPA Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory’s Quality Assurance Office, which published the popular pocket guide Preparing Perfect Project Plans, is now introducing another quality assurance reference aid. The document Variability in Protocols (VIP) was initially designed as a quick reference for personnel performing QA audits, but it also has found its place in serving as a reference source for laboratory managers as well as personnel reviewing or developing QA Project Plans. Variability in Protocols contains tabular summaries of the quality control differences and similarities for some of the most frequently used analytical methods for water, soils, and other environmental samples. The document has been prepared in an attempt to bring together the separate methods that became a product of the major environmental statutes. Noticeable differences between methods are evidenced in. method detection limits, calibration methods, blanks, spikes, and several other parameters included in this summary. The tabular format provides quick and easy access to important, needed information - information that will increase one’s knowledge about sets of methods such as SW-846, EPA 500 and 600 Series, Standard Methods, and others. VIP can provide guidance when preparing Quality Assurance Project Plans. Managers, field sampling tearrL members, auditors, and laboratory personnel alike will find this document helpful in determining the most suitable method of chemical analysis for their various purposes. As a quick reference tool, this document gives accurate information without the past necessity of searching through pages of methods, saving both time and money. Inconsistency in quality control protocols doesn’t have to be an obstacle, and with this creation, comparisons of methods can be effortless.