The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been concerned about the potential dangers to human health and the environment from the ever increasing flux of new man-made substances into our ecosystem. Since 1974, the EPA has been actively engaged in studying the feasibility of establishing a program, The National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB), that would provide a formalized, systematic approach to assess the environmental impact of these substances at a national, as well as international level. The NESBS would provide real time monitoring, assessing the adequacy of present pollutant control techniques, as well as providing samples for retrospective analyses. With the realization that NESBS is a viable concept, both from the standpoint of need and by the availability of present technology, it must be decided if such a system is, in fact, feasible to establish and maintain under actual operating conditions. It is proposed, therefore, that a five-year pilot bank program be initiated. During this time, a limited number of samples should be collected, analyzed, and stored in a central facility. The pilot bank program should focus on validating credible collection, storage, and analytical data. The functioning NESBS should provide future generations with an important resource for evaluating their current environmental status.

"March 1978." Includes bibliographical references (page 26).