Monitoring programs, limitations

Noise monitoring is usually located in the HASP as part of the monitoring program. Noise monitoring should be performed in accordance with acceptable practices. Typically, noise levels are monitored in the field with either a Type I or Type II sound level meter (SLM). Noise dosimeter readings can also be obtained to determine the percent (%) noise dose. Noise levels and % doses measured are then compared to limits listed in OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.95, Hearing Conservation [3]. 

Before computer-based systems were developed, a major limitation of vibration monitoring programs was the labor required to manage, store, retrieve, and analyze the massive amount of data generated. However, the computer-based systems in use today virtually eliminate this labor requirement. These systems automatically manage data and provide almost instant data retrieval for analysis. 

Fan running speed varies with load. If fixed filters are used to establish the bandwidth and narrowband windows, the running speed upper limit should be set to the synchronous speed of the motor, and the lower limit set at the full-load speed of the motor. This setting provides the full range of actual running speeds that should be observed in a routine monitoring program. 

Three basic types of transducers that can be used for monitoring the mechanical condition of plant machinery displacement probes (measures movement), velocity transducers (measures energy due to velocity), and accelerometers (measures force due to acceleration). Each has specific applications in a monitoring program, while each also has limitations. 

The recommended data acquisition frequencies are the maximum that will ensure prevention of most catastrophic failures. Less frequency monitoring will limit the ability of the program to detect and prevent un-scheduled machine outages. 

The use of confidence intervals is one way to state the required precision. Confidence limits provide a measure of the variability associated with an estimate, such as the average of a characteristic. Table I is an example of using confidence intervals in planning a sampling study. This table shows the interrelationships of variability (coefficient of variation), the distribution of the characteristic (normal or lognormal models), and the sample frequency (sample sizes from 4 to 365) for a monitoring program. 

Monitoring programs should be designed to limit the effects of confounding factors that impair our ability to discern both trends in MeHg concentrations in aquatic... 

The workhorses in national monitoring programs are multi-residue methods. Any official method collection of any EU Member State contains at least one multi-residue method. For multi-analyte and/or multi-matrix methods, it is likely to be impractical to validate a method for all possible combinations of analyte, concentration and type of sample matrix that may be encountered in subsequent use of the method. Therefore, initial validation should incorporate as many of the target analytes and matrices as practicable. For practical reasons this validation and the evaluation of other methods with limited scope often cannot be conducted in inter-laboratory studies. Other concepts based on independent laboratory validation or validation in a single laboratory have been developed and can provide a practical and cost-effective alternative (or intermediate) approach. 

In vitro analyses of americium are routinely performed in situations where in vivo analyses cannot be obtained or in support of an in vivo monitoring program. Urine is the preferred sample for in vitro analyses of americium, although other sample types, such as feces, tissue, bone, or blood, can also be used on a more limited basis. Urine provides for an analysis of soluble or transportable americium, fecal analysis can be used to measure ingestion or clearance of americium, and tissue is used to assess whole or regional body burdens of americium (Guilmette and Bay 1981 Ide 1986 Ide et al. 1985 Mclnroy et al. 1985). 

In 1966 and 1967, when the use of endrin was not restricted, endrin was detected in 5 of 67 raw water samples from the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers (Schafer et al. 1969). At a later time when endrin use was substantially restricted, an Iowa study of 33 community water supplies using surface water found no detectable concentrations of endrin in the distribution systems (Wnuk et al. 1987). In an extensive water quality monitoring program conducted by the California Department of Health Services, endrin was detected (detection limit not specified) in only 2 of 5,109 public drinking water sources sampled from 1984 to 1992, at mean and maximum concentrations of 0.06 and 0.10 ppb, respectively (Storm 1994). Concentrations did not exceed the Maximum Concentration Level (MCL) of 0.2 ppb. In another recent study, endrin was not detected (detection limit not specified) in 32 samples each of raw water and highly treated reclaimed waste water undergoing evaluation as a possible supplement to raw water sources in San Diego, California (De Peyster et al. 1993). 

The data from the 2000 FSIS/USDA monitoring program (Table 12.4) present very similar results to those found in the 1998 data (USDA, 2000). For the sake of simplicity, the data presented show the violations and the upper 95% confidence limits. These data confirm the consistently low incidence of antibiotic and sulfonamide residues in animals grown for food. Even in the worst-case situation, the upper range of the violative incidence remains relatively low, usually less than 2%. There are some hot spots, namely in veal calves, hogs, and horses. Horses appear to be a special case because these animals are rarely used for food in the U.S. It may be that horses are treated with antibiotics or antimicrobials to ensure the animals or carcasses are in the best shape for marketing. 

Methods for determining cresols in environmental media are summarized in Table 6-2. Procedures for the determination of and o- and p-cresol in water, soil, and sediment samples at hazardous waste sites are outlined by EPA (1988a). The required quantitation limits for each of the isomeric cresols are 10 ppb for water samples and 330 ppb for soil and sediment samples in this monitoring program. 

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