Environmental performance evaluation method

Methods for Parent Compound and Degradation Products in Environmental Media. Suitable methods for the determination of acrolein in environmental samples exist. Nevertheless, new methodologies for the determination of acrolein have been reported. These methods can offer increased sensitivity and greater ease of performance. Further testing and evaluation of these methods would be useful in establishing the most powerful and practical techniques for routine analysis of acrolein in environmental samples. 

The programme to improve the quality control of organotin determinations in environmental matrices started in 1988 [9] by a consultation of European experts. It was decided to follow a stepwise approach for the evaluation of the performance of methods used in butyltin analyses. The overall programme consisted in a series of interlaboratory studies which started by an intercomparison on organotins in solutions followed by an intercomparison on a TBT-spiked sediment. 

In the two-year effort to evaluate the EPA-developed test method, Kodak was able to reformulate five photochemicals under development. This improved their environmental performance significantly. 

Baron, P.A., Deye, G.J., Fernback, J.E., and Jones, W.G. (1998). Direct-reading measurement of fiber length/diameter distributions. Advances in Environmental Measurement Methods for Asbestos, Boulder, CO American Society for Testing Materials. Deye, G.J., Gao, R, Baron, P.A., and Fernback, J. (1999). Performance evaluation of a fiber length classifier. Aerosol Sci Tech 30 420-437. 

From the available literature it becomes clear that method evaluation studies do not surpass the level of within-laboratory performances. Although several of these (see Table 3.3.1) reveal satisfactory levels of quality and environmentally relevant limits of detection, a genuine quality assurance of these methods is still lacking. There are no reports of interlaboratory studies and certified reference materials for surfactants are not available on the market yet. It can therefore be concluded that there remains much to be done in the field of improving and evaluating quality of analytical measurements of surfactants in biota. 

Level 1 sampling provides a single set of samples acquired to represent the average composition of each stream. This sample set is separated, either in the field or in the laboratory, into solid, liquid, and gas-phase components. Each fraction is evaluated with survey techniques which define its basic physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. The survey methods selected are compatible with a very broad spectrum of materials and have sufficient sensitivity to ensure a high probability of detecting environmental problems. Analytical techniques and instrumentation have been kept as simple as possible in order to provide an effective level of information at minimum cost. Each individual piece of data developed adds a relevant point to the overall evaluation. Conversely, since the information from a given analysis is limited, all the tests must be performed to provide a valid assessment of the sample. 

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