QAPP elements

The EPA prefers that the planning document be prepared in the format of the EPA QAPP. Projects, conducted with the direct involvement of the EPA require that the QAPP be reviewed and approved by an EPA QA manager. The QAPP elements, described in EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans, QA/R-5 (EPA,... 

To assist the reader in the planning document preparation, whether it is a QAPP or a SAP, Table 2.5 cross-references the required EPA QAPP elements with the subject matter chapters of the Guide. 

Group A elements address the general issues of project management and document control and provide a general overview of the project history. The QAPP may be a controlled document, i.e. its distribution is limited, and every issued copy is tracked and accounted for, hence a need for a distribution list. The list of acronyms and abbreviations is also part of Group A elements. 

The requirements for special training or certifications/registrations for specific project tasks are also addressed in the QAPP. An important element of this group is A9, the description of the field and laboratory records and the resulting data packages and their contents. 

This group of elements contains a large volume of information on analytical laboratory method requirements and procedures. Therefore, the laboratory that will conduct the analysis should provide this information to the project team for the incorporation into the QAPP. For example, the selection of analytical laboratory methods and QC requirements definitely needs input from the analytical laboratory, particularly if low detection limits or non-routine analyses are concerned. Analytical instrument calibration and maintenance requirements should also be developed as a cooperative effort with the analytical laboratory or by the individuals who are well-versed in laboratory practices and procedures. 

The information contained in Groups A, B, C, and D can be logically broken down into two distinctive parts that describe the field and analytical laboratory objectives, with each part presented in a separate document. The elements that address field activities are removed from the QAPP and segregated into a document that is called Field Sampling Plan (FSP). The two documents, the FSP and the QAPP, constitute the Sampling and Analysis Plan. A short introduction to the SAP may describe the purpose of its two parts and tie them together under a single cover. 

The result of the DQO process is a set of informed planning elements that are expanded into what is often called a QAPP. This document dictates the specific elements of a DCA. The QAPP ensures that the sample collection area is logical and well-defined, the samples collected are representative of the area with respect to distribution, number, and freqnency, the samples are collected and documented properly, and the samples reach the radioanalytical chemistry laboratory in an unbroken chain of custody. At the laboratory, the QAPP defines the types of analyses that will be performed, the nnmber of measnrements per sample, the reqnired reliability and sensitivity of analytical resnlts, and the response time. The QAPP also... 

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