English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Assessments concerning the environmental impact of mining projects are highly dependent on reliable low-level analyses of samples collected from the receiving environment. The analytical program must be designed to maximize the reliability of the data and also provide information concerning the reproducibility, accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of test results. In Canada, the MEND (Mine Environment Neutral Drainage) Program has sponsored projects pertaining to comprehensive monitoring of subaqueous tailings disposal. Lake sediments, lake water, and interstitial water samples were collected and then analyzed for a host of parameters (metals, anions, physical tests, etc.). The analyses were carried out using state-of-the-art procedures and instruments. A comprehensive quality assurance-quality control (QA-QC) program was incorporated into the study with all QA-QC subsequently reported. The studies provide an ideal example of what is required, in terms of analytical approach, for projects that require extremely low detection levels and are subject to rigorous scrutiny by regulatory agencies, the scientific community, and the public. This paper presents the QA-QC approach taken for the subaqueous tailings disposal work by discussing method selection, determination of detection limits, use of reference materials, laboratory and field QC samples, and criteria for assessing QC results. Representative QC data are presented to demonstrate validation of methodology and to show that pre-determined criteria were met. The results on all blanks were below limits of detection, the results on reference materials met suppliers 95% acceptance criteria and replicate results agreed to within +15% of a calculated mean. INTRODUCTION The demand for high quality environmental laboratory services has grown rapidly, especially during the past 10 yr. Significant technical advances have been made with services and capabilities now routinely available that only a few years ago were the domain of research. There has been a dramatic trend toward multi-component determinations at very low concentrations in complex sample matrices. These requirements place an increasing burden on the laboratory and its ability to produce quality results. The field of environmental analytical chemistry is no doubt a scientific field that has become vitally important to society by providing the required data to support environmental studies. The work produced by environmental laboratories is "under a lens", and this close scrutiny has been increasing over the years. Government regulations have been the driving force in the rapid growth of the field of environmental analytical chemistry. In North America this sector is sophisticated and is dominated by regulatory, research, and private-sector laboratories. Laboratory managers have had to become increasingly proactive in educating industry, regulators, and the public about the field of measurement science. This has been especially important as regulators establish new environmental standards, compliance limits, and criteria. The setting of compliance limits will undoubtedly be based on many factors; the capability to measure must be among such considerations. 99 Proceedings of the 18 Annual British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium in Vernon, BC, 1994. The Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation As users of environmental laboratories become more educated, their expectations become enhanced. Laboratories must now routinely provide evidence that they are accredited and/or certified and that they incorporate a comprehensive quality assurance program with all work programs. DEFINING LABORATORY CREDIBILITY Laboratory credibility is established through "good laboratory practice" (GLP) which involves the complete management system for laboratory operation. While laboratories will, on their own initiative, establish GLP, it is necessary to obtain official recognition in the form of certification and accreditation. Certification is the formal recognition of the proficiency of a laboratory to carry out specific tests. It is determined by a procedure of submitting proficiency samples and defining the standards that must be met by the laboratories. Accreditation is a more comprehensive system that includes, along with a proficiency component, formal site visits by properly trained laboratory auditors. In Canada, a national accreditation program has been established by CAEAL, or the Canadian Association of Environmental Analytical Laboratories (CAEAL 1993). In the United States, the ultimate goal is a national accreditation program, but at present accreditation is offered only in some of the individual States (IAETL 1993). DEFINING LABORATORY QUALITY The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines quality assurance (QA) as the total program for assuring the reliability of monitoring data. Quality control (QC) is defined as "the routine application of procedures for controlling the measurement process" (U.S. EPA 1986). In other words, QC consists of the technical, day-to-day activities used to assess the quality of the measurement process, while QA is the overall management system that ensures a QC program is in place and is working effectively. Quality control is primarily concerned with the tools of the measurement system. This includes internal laboratory activities or quality control steps, and the preparation and analysis of quality control samples. Analysis of quality control samples allows the determination of precision, accuracy, sensitivity, and contamination control for the sampling and analysis process. There are two types of quality control (QC) samples: internal and external. Internal or laboratory quality control samples are prepared in the laboratory and include blanks, replicates, surrogates, spikes, and reference materials. These are defined in table 1. External or field quality control samples (table 1) are prepared in the field and should be handled exactly the same way as the collected environmental samples. The data produced from these samples provide information on the sampling techniques, sampling precision and bias, analyte stability, and cleanliness of sample containers. The results of analysis of the QC samples provide valuable information on the precision (or repeatability) and the accuracy (how close the measurement is to the true value) of the analyses. The relationship between precision and accuracy is depicted in figure 1. It is the goal of analytical chemists to utilize analysis protocols that are both accurate and precise (category B of figure 1), but some tests required for regulatory purposes do not meet such criteria (Maynard 1990).

The Laboratory Quality Assurance Component of Environmental Monitoring: A Case Study Involving Subaqueous Tailings Research