Laserfiche WebLink
SOP No. 11.0 Sample Management <br />6.0 QUALITY CONTROL REQUIREMENTS <br />QC requirements relevant to analysis of environmental samples shall be followed during <br />analytical activities to meet the quality objectives and criteria. The purpose of this QC program <br />is to produce data of known and documented quality that satisfy the project objectives and that <br />meet or exceed the requirements of the standard methods of analysis. <br />6.1 QC SAMPLES <br />A number of QC samples will be employed to assess various data quality parameters, such as <br />representativeness of the environmental samples, the precision of sample collection and handling <br />procedures, the thoroughness of the field equipment decontamination procedures, and the <br />accuracy of laboratory analysis. A summary of QC samples for all chemical analysis methods is <br />included in Table 1. Types of QC samples are discussed below and the number of these samples <br />is also summarized in Table 1. <br />6.1.1 Matrix Spike/Matrix Spike Duplicate <br />Matrix spike (MS) and matrix spike duplicate (MSD) samples are prepared by spiking additional <br />aliquots of sample with known concentrations of all project target analytes. <br />The sample to be used for the MS/MSD analyses shall be designated on the chain of custody and <br />additional sample volume shall be submitted, as necessary. The MS/MSD results are used to <br />document the bias of a method due to sample matrix. Consequently, MSs and MSDs are not <br />used to control the analytical process. A minimum of one MS and one MSD sample shall be <br />analyzed for every 20 environmental samples of a given matrix. Alternately, a laboratory may <br />prepare and analyze a MS sample and a laboratory duplicate sample as discussed below. <br />Analysis of a MS/MSD or MS/LD sample set to assess matrix effects on accuracy and precision <br />is typically dependent on the analyte class (e.g., inorganic vs. organic) and the likelihood of <br />detecting the target analyte. <br />6.1.2 Laboratory Duplicate <br />A laboratory duplicate (LD) is prepared by taking an additional aliquot of a sample and preparing <br />and analyzing it in the same fashion as the parent sample. The LD is used to assess the precision <br />of the method due to sample matrix. A minimum of one LD shall be analyzed for every 20 <br />environmental samples of a given matrix. Alternately, the laboratory may analyze a MS/MSD <br />pair as a means of assessing precision. Analysis of a MS/MSD or MS/LD sample set to assess <br />matrix effects on accuracy and precision is typically dependent on the analyte class (e.g., <br />inorganic vs. organic) and the likelihood of detecting the target analyte. <br />6.1.3 Field Blank <br />The field blank consists of American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Type II reagent <br />grade water supplied by the laboratory that is poured into applicable sample container at the <br />4/23/07 Page 5 of 19 R Squared Inc.