U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Sampling & Analytical Methods Program
Citation:
Hall, K., R. Campisano, E. Snyder, E. Silvestri, AND S. Taft. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Sampling & Analytical Methods Program. EPA Decon Conference, Research Triangle Park,NC, May 08 - 10, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Presents information on the new ESAM program and website tools: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a comprehensive Environmental Sampling & Analytical Methods (ESAM) program to facilitate a coordinated response to a chemical, radiochemical, biotoxin, or pathogen contamination incident. The program supports EPA’s Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN), including the Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA), and the response community. ESAM is composed of field and laboratory ready documents and web based tools focusing on sample collection, processing and analysis to facilitate site characterization, remediation, and release. The Sample Collection Information Document (SCID), within ESAM, provides general information for use by EPA, and its contractors, when collecting samples during contamination incidents and environmental remediation efforts. Sampling procedures will be used to guide collection of post incident environmental and urban matrices samples specifically intended for analysis using the selected methods. Sampling strategies provide a framework to assist decision-makers in developing and implementing an approach for post incident sample collection. Working with EPA and other federal, state, and local experts, the Selected Analytical Methods (SAM) document, a compendium of analytical methods to be used when responding to contamination incidents within ESAM, was developed. Multiple laboratories may be used to conduct sample analysis during an incident. Ensuring that all laboratories use the same analytical method provides comparable data and eliminates the need to convert or extrapolate data generated from different methods; thus, allowing stakeholders to assess the situation and make decisions in a timely manner. SAM methods and information in the SCID are available as an online document and via a searchable database to provide quick access during an incident.
Description:
Presents information on the new ESAM program and website tools: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a comprehensive Environmental Sampling & Analytical Methods (ESAM) program to facilitate a coordinated response to a chemical, radiochemical, biotoxin, or pathogen contamination incident. The program supports EPA’s Environmental Response Laboratory Network (ERLN), including the Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA), and the response community. ESAM is composed of field and laboratory ready documents and web based tools focusing on sample collection, processing and analysis to facilitate site characterization, remediation, and release. The Sample Collection Information Document (SCID), within ESAM, provides general information for use by EPA, and its contractors, when collecting samples during contamination incidents and environmental remediation efforts. Sampling procedures will be used to guide collection of post incident environmental and urban matrices samples specifically intended for analysis using the selected methods. Sampling strategies provide a framework to assist decision-makers in developing and implementing an approach for post incident sample collection. Working with EPA and other federal, state, and local experts, the Selected Analytical Methods (SAM) document, a compendium of analytical methods to be used when responding to contamination incidents within ESAM, was developed. Multiple laboratories may be used to conduct sample analysis during an incident. Ensuring that all laboratories use the same analytical method provides comparable data and eliminates the need to convert or extrapolate data generated from different methods; thus, allowing stakeholders to assess the situation and make decisions in a timely manner. SAM methods and information in the SCID are available as an online document and via a searchable database to provide quick access during an incident.