Quality assurance sampling activities

Because of the diversity of potential field testing and sampling activities during the characterization, there may be no specific quality assurance (QA) activities that apply to all sampling procedures. However, the following general QA principles would apply in most cases and are consistent with the QA guidelines published by USEPA s Environmental Response Team ... 

This feasibility study shows that determination of pellet wt by fast neutron oxygen activation analysis can be used for quality assurance inspection of M34 primers. Either direct oxygen analysis, where a comparison standard (such as lucite) is used, or a ratio method, utilizing the Cu in the cup-anvil combination as an internal standard, can be applied. In general, the uniformity of production primers is quite satisfactory, as is usually the case where production procedures are standardized. It seems likely that the light pellet is one which has been improperly manufd and will probably be well below specifications in pellet wt. Production experience with such primers indicates that only one in 3x10s primers is expected to show low pellet wt therefore, one would not expect to find a reject in a small sampling. Nevertheless, detection and rejection of this one bad unit is critical for the prevention of weapon malfunctions and possible injuries to personnel... 

Quality assurance (QA) is a generic term for all activities required to maintain quality in analytical results. These include laboratory management structures and sample documentation procedures, as well as the more practical sample preparation and analysis requirements (as described above). The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) develops standards across a wide range of areas, from screw threads to banking cards. The majority of ISO standards are specific to certain areas they are documented agreements containing technical specifications or precise criteria to be used... 

Ocean Data Evaluation System (ODES) Data Submissions Manual QA/QC Guidance for Sampling and Analysis of Sediments Water and Tissue for Dredged Material Evaluations Chemical Evaluations Quality Assurance Plan for the National Pesticide Survey of Drinking Water Wells Analytical Method 2, Chlorinated Pesticides Quality Assurance Project Plan for Analytical Control and Assessment Activities in the National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue... 

Quality Assurance Project Plan for Sample Collection Activities for a National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue Quality Assurance Project Plan for the National Pesticide Survey of Drinking Water Wells... 

Once initial analyses are completed, random samples are sent from SGS to ActLabs for check assays, to establish precision (repeatability) and analytical bias. Additionally, coarse sample rejects are chosen at random and sent to ActLabs for preparation and analysis, to check the accuracy and repeatability of the original sample preparation. A further check on SGS Lab precision is conducted by renumbering pulps and re-submission from ActLab to SGS for analysis. Tournigan monitors quality assurance by plotting and analyzing the data, as received, and activates re-assaying of sample batches that do not meet predetermined standards. 

There are proficiency testing programs that are geared toward clinical sensitivity or specificity by seeking to determine whether a disease can be detected versus other types of controls that are use to test sensitivity, selectivity, and most importantly, reproducibility and precision. With mass spectrometry, the controls are and should be no different than those used for other assays, with one interesting exception. Quality assurance materials prepared for MS/MS may not be useful in other assays that are less selective. The example is newborn screening where quality assurance/control QA/QC materials have a mixture of compounds present in the blood specimens. However, in less selective immunoassays, the mixture creates interferences. In addition, material is used to spike a blood sample is key and one should ensure there is no enzyme activity. We have encountered such a problem with a d/1 mixture of metabolites where one form was degraded in the prepared blood. 

Type of Service. The type of service—quality assurance, methods development, or routine testing—for each instrument or laboratory is a general consideration, as is the question of whether several types of service will be required of the system. A quality assurance laboratory associated with a chemicals production facility has far simpler needs in terms of analytical capability than a methods development laboratory or one that normally analyzes biological samples for pharmacologically active compounds at sub-ppm or even ppb concentrations. On the other hand, the data storage and reduction needs of a quality assurance laboratory are usually much more pressing than those of a methods development laboratory. 

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are required for all routine activities that are critical to the successful outcome of the study including quality assurance procedures and inspections. Most of the SOPs for the field activities are written by the field scientists with guidance from the Quality Assurance Section. For the field activities, it is required that at each site there be SOPs for such things as how field plots are established and the plot boundaries marked, the maintenance of sample freezers, how to calibrate and maintain chemical balances and chemical application equipment, and how to obtain test chemicals. If an SOP for a critical item of equipment is not available, the study would be considered to be not in compliance with the principles of the GLP guidelines. The distribution of SOPs is carefully controlled so that when an SOP is changed, all outdated copies can be exchanged for the new version. 

Records are kept of when a sample was collected, the method of collection, who collected the sample, what the elapsed time was between harvest and freezing, the conditions under which it was stored, how it was shipped to the laboratory, and when it was shipped. When a sample arrives at the laboratory, the condition of the sample is checked and recorded. Then the information on the sample bag (sample number, application rate, preharvest interval, etc.) is compared to the trial information sheets which are submitted along with the samples. Any omissions or discrepancies are corrected at that time. If there is an omission or discrepancy that cannot be easily corrected by a telephone call from the sample processing laboratory to the field scientist, the study director is notified. The study director must make the decision about the validity of the sample and put a note in the data file explaining how the problem was corrected or that the problem could not be corrected and the trial is to be abandoned. If the trial is dropped, Quality Assurance is notified, the trial is deleted from the active Master Schedule, and an explanation is put in the study file. 

I am not going to go into the more obvious quality assurance program requirements that are applicable to all laboratories. These general requirements include the provision for a Quality Assurance Unit, the availability of a qualified staff, the presence of facilities and equipment adequate to permit the type and number of studies being performed, a master schedule of ongoing and completed studies, storage areas for active and used samples, and archives for the retention of reports and raw data. 

The Technical Services function of AOCS establishes, revises, and annually updates AOCS Methods, the Official Methods and Recommenced Practices of the American Oil Chemists Society22 for fats, oils, and soap technology Spanish AOCS Methods, a Spanish translation of the more commonly used AOCS Methods and Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Oils, Fats and Waxes. Leaders of the methods development committees coordinate closely with AOAC International (formerly the Association of Official Analytical Chemists). AOCS Methods are recognized as Official Methods in US FDA activities and when litigation becomes necessary in industry trade. Additionally, the Technical Services function operates a Laboratory Proficiency Program (formerly the Smalley Check Sample Program) and oversees distribution and statistical analysis of 30 different series of basic laboratory quality assur-ance/quality control test samples. Certification as AOCS Approved Chemists, or as AOCS... 

Versieck, J. Collection and manipulation of samples for trace element analysis Quality assurance considerations. In Quality assurance in biomedical neutron activation analysis. IAEA-TECDOC-323. IAEA, Vienna, pp. 71-82 (1984)... 

NAA is preferred for the analysis of unique samples such as meteorite, the certification of reference materials, and quality assurance in analytical chemistry [21]. Definitive methods are based on the activation of samples, selective separation of analyzed radionuclides by column (ion-exchange) chromatography, and measurement by gamma spectrometry [15, 16, 19]. In definitive methods, radiochemical separation, co-precipitation, extraction, and ionic exchange guarantee the... 

Quality Assurance (QA) is a system of activities whose purpose is to provide to the data user the assurance that the data meet defined standard of quality. It consists of QC and quality assessment. QA applies to field and laboratory practices including collection, identification, storage, preservation, shipment and analysis of samples. 

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