Ask the Expert Webinar series

Laboratory Processing of Incremental Samples: Options and Data Effects

About this webinar:

The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) team on Incremental Sampling Methodology (ISM) has been working for nearly three years to assemble guidance to improve the quality of site characterization. The ISM guidance document public release and training sessions are planned for early 2012. This presentation provides an overview of the current status on the near final ISM guidance related to laboratory sample processing options and how analytical data is affected by the various processes.

ITRC is a state run organization that develops consensus guidance for environmental issues. Alaska and Hawaii have widely adopted the use of ISM for site characterization. Other states such as Missouri and Ohio have used ISM on limited number of sites. A few states have regulations that prohibit the use if composite based sampling techniques such as ISM, but this number is dwindling. The Department of Defense and US Army Corps of Engineers in particular has devoted many resources to the development of ISM and is also a significant contributor to this ITRC team. In addition to other state and federal regulatory representatives, this guidance is also being developed by engineering firms, consultants and state, university, government and commercial laboratories.

The overall goal of ISM is to provide a reliable estimate of the mean concentration for each contaminant of concern within each decision unit. SW-845 Method 8330B is the best known guidance for laboratory processing of incremental samples. The ITRC guidance includes other analyte groups such as metals, PCBs, volatile organic compounds and semivolatile organic compounds. The specific laboratory processes used affect the retention of analytes, contamination from sample processing equipment and other samples and subsampling representativeness. These processes have different effects on the final analytical data. This presentation will summarize the low bias, high bias and precision effects of the moisture modification, grinding and subsampling processes.

The laboratory processing options include air drying, water addition, field moist options, freeze drying, disaggregation, milling, fractional scoops, riffle splitting, rotary sectorial splitter, 1 and 2-dimensional slabcake. Application of standard quality assurance principles is discussed as well laboratory certification options.

Disclaimer: This is not an official ITRC sponsored presentation.

Topics the presentation will cover:

• ISM principles
• Systematic Planning
• Statistical ISM Design
• Field Activity
• Laboratory Sample Processing
• Data Assessment
• Regulatory Acceptance of ISM Data

Who should attend?

• Consultants
• Regulatory Officials
• Federal Government Officials (i.e. - USACE, etc.)
• Site Owners

A question and answer session will immediately follow the presentation. At the conclusion of each webinar, you will be asked for your feedback and opinions for future webinar topic to be developed by TestAmerica.