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GUIDANCE FOR OBTAINING REPRESENTATIVE ANALYTICAL LABORATORY SUBSAMPLES FROM PARTICULATE LABORATORY SAMPLES
Citation:
Gerlach, R. W. AND J M. Nocerino. GUIDANCE FOR OBTAINING REPRESENTATIVE ANALYTICAL LABORATORY SUBSAMPLES FROM PARTICULATE LABORATORY SAMPLES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-03/027 (NTIS PB2004-101514), 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
The overall objective of the chemometrics and environmetrics program and this task is to examine and evaluate the statistical procedures and methods used in the measurement or experimentation process and to improve those procedures and methods (if deemed inadequate) by investigating, developing, and evaluating statistical methods, algorithms, and software to reduce data uncertainty. The measurement or experimentation process encompasses: decision objectives and design, sampling design, sampling, experimental design, quality control, data collection, signal processing and data manipulation, data analysis, validation, and decision analysis. Other general objectives of the program are to: evaluate certain existing, developed, or potential performance measurements for information content, relevancy, and cost-effectiveness. The objectives of the sampling research area are to provide the Agency with improved state-of-the-science guidance, strategies, and techniques to more accurately and effectively collect solid particulate field and laboratory subsamples that best represent the extent and degree of contamination at a given site.
Description:
An ongoing research program has been established to experimentally verify the application of the Gy theory to environmental samples, which serves as a supporting basis for -the material presented in this guidance. Research results from studies performed by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) have confirmed that the application of the Gy sampling theory to environmental heterogeneous particulate materials is the appropriate state- of-the-science approach for obtaining representative laboratory subsamples. This document provides general guidelines for obtaining representative subsamples for the laboratory analysis of particulate materials using the "correct" sampling practices and the "correct" sampling devices based on Gy theory. Besides providing background and theory, this document gives guidance on: sampling and comminution tools, sample characterization and assessment, developing a sampling plan using a general sampling strategy, and reporting recommendations. Considerations are given to: the constitution and the degree of heterogeneity of the material being sampled, the methods used for sample collection (including what proper tools to use), what it is that the sample is supposed to represent, the mass (sample support) of the sample needed to be representative, and the bounds of what "representative" actually means. A glossary and a comprehensive bibliography have been provided, which should be consulted for more details.