Sample preservation and handling

Proper sample preservation and handling in the field and at the laboratory the correct application of subsampling techniques during analysis the use of proper preparation and analysis procedures—all of these are important in maintaining the collected sample representativeness. 

Another aspect that must be considered subsequent to sampling is sample preservation and handling. The integrity of the sample must be preserved during the inevitable delay between sampling and analysis. Sample preservation may include the addition of preservatives or buffer solutions, pH adjustment, use of an inert gas blanket, and cold storage or freezing. 

ISO (2003) Standard 5667-3 Water quality sampling, part 3 guidance on the preservation and handling of water samples... 

Sample Preservation, Storage, Handling and Documentation, http //denr.sd.gov/des/gw/spills/ Handbook/SOP7.pdf 04/26/2011. 

BSI (1996). Water quality. Sampling Part 3. Guidance on the preservation and handling of samples. BS EN ISO 5667-3. 

Trick J. K., Stuart M., and Reeder S. describe the tools available to the field sampler for the collection of groundwater samples, methods of on-site water quality analysis, and the appropriate preservation and handling ofsamples. The authors discuss the merits of different purge methodologies and show how on-site measurements such as pH, specific electrical conductance (SEC), oxidation—reduction potential (ORP), dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, and alkalinity can be used to provide a check on subsequent laboratory analyses. Techniques for the preservation and analysis of samples and quality assurance and quality control are also presented. 

ISO (1994) Water Quality - Sampling - Part 3 Guidance on the Preservation and Handling of Samples, ISO 5667-3. International Organization for Standardization, Paris. 

International Standards Organisation (1999) Water quality - sampling, part 15 guidance on preservation and handling of sludge and sediment samples, ISO 5667-15 1999. 

Careful understauding of the effects of each preanalytical variable on the biomarker data is complex and necessitates a staged approach conceptually similar to the fit-for-purpose analytical validation of a biomarker assay (see Chapter 41). In the early exploratory phase of biomarker investigation, standardization of procedures with a defined protocol for sample collection and handling will permit comparative interpretation and analysis of the data within study and/or between studies. Minimally, variables that should be experimentally evaluated to optimize sample collection for a specific biomarker will include matrix type, preservation... 

Using a spectrophotometer to measirre colour of natural objects (e.g. vegetation, soil) could be very cumbersome, because the samples need to be harvested and handled correctly before transportation to the instrument. Live specimens quickly begin to change, and, without appropriate preservation and handling, would yield inaccurate results (Foley et al., 2006 Richardson and Berlyn, 2002). 

ISO. Water quality—Sampling—Part 3 Guidance on the preservation and handling of samples. 

Because of their diversity and complexity as well as the gradual internationalization of the different standards, it has proven necessary to standardize the methods of sample preservation, handling, fractionation, and analysis throughout the chain of separation and treatment. All these stages are the object of precise protocols established by official national and international organizations. They describe in as minute detail as possible the procedures employed not only for each analysis but very often giving different procedures for the same analysis in different matrices. These are the standards or standardized methods discussed in Chapter 7. 

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