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With our new Rule effective September 9, 2010, proficiency testing requirements have changed.
If your current Certificate expires before September 9, 2011, then you need to submit two passing Proficiency Testing (PT) samples with your renewal application.
If your current Certificate expires after September 9, 2011, then you need to submit only one passing PT result with your renewal application for each parameter for which you were granted full accreditation at the time of your last renewal, and with each future renewal application, as long as you continue to achieve satisfactory results. You need to submit one passing PT with your renewal application each year for any microbiology parameters for which you are accredited under Drinking Water and/or Non-Potable Water.
With our new Rule effective September 9, 2010, our fees have changed: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=173-50-190
Until the 20th edition, Standard Methods 5210 B had been silent on what the objective should be for carbonaceous BOD (cBOD) of the 150/150 mg/L solution of glucose/glutamic acid (GGA). The 20th Edition says that the goal should be 198 mg/L, just as it is for BOD. Furthermore, it says the analyst should "overseed" (add more seed than normal) to achieve the 198 mg/L. The Lab Accreditation Program staff believes this objective to be incorrect and advise labs that the objective should be 171 mg/L.
Glutamic acid contains nitrogen, as does the dilution water used in the BOD/cBOD test. There is not much nitrification (conversion of nitrogen to nitrite/nitrate) during the 5-day incubation. But there is some nitrification, and therefore some depletion of oxygen because of the nitrification. When nitrifiers are inhibited in the cBOD test, this nitrification does not occur, and one would therefore expect the cBOD value to be lower than the BOD value for the same sample. How much lower? Comparing cBOD results to BOD results for the same samples in EPA's historical Water Pollution (WP) studies clearly shows that the ratio of BOD to cBOD is a steady 1.16. Dividing 198 mg/L by the 1.16 results in the 171 mg/L goal for cBOD of GGA. How is the objective for the standard deviation of repeated cBOD results for the GGA standard affected? Standard Methods 20th Edition says the standard deviation goal for BOD is 10 mg/L or lower. The Lab Accreditation Program staff thinks this is too optimistic (it is not backed by any scientific study) and advises labs to shoot for a standard deviation in the mid-teens or lower for BOD. For cBOD, the goal is essentially the same; although one could argue that it should be a little lower than for BOD...perhaps low-teens or lower.
The Washington Department of Health, as a user of the Department of Ecology's Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, has requested Ecology to accredit only for specified drinking water analytes. For example, since "cobalt" is neither a federally regulated analyte, a specified unregulated analyte, nor an analyte of special interest to Washington, Ecology is not allowed to accredit for the trace metal. A list of allowed analytes is posted here.
Since 2002, Department of Ecology has been accrediting labs to analyze methamphetamine as part of Department of Health's Clandestine Laboratory Cleanup Program. Possibly because of increased interest at the national level on health and social problems caused by the contamination left behind in illegal meth labs, several states have recently shown an interest in our accreditation strategy. That strategy and points of contact for additional information are posted here.
The primary difference between the ion chromatography EPA Method 300.0 and 300.1 is that the latter specifies the analytical column and eluent to be used. Because Method 300.0 allows choice of column and eluent, as long as quality control (QC) objectives in the method are met, a lab can be accredited for most anions by either 300.0 or 300.1 if it is using the column and eluent specified in 300.1. This could have a bearing on the accreditation fee paid by the lab which is the reason for mentioned it here. However, only EPA 300.1 can be used for drinking water compliance testing of bromate. Hence, accreditation for bromate, if done by an EPA ion choromatography method, must be by EPA 300.1.
In its October 28, 2003 letter, the EPA Engineering and Analysis Division approved use of plastic (carbon-coated polyethylene terephthalate) BOD bottles manufactured by Environmental Express. This approval pertains to bottles manufactured only by Environmental Express. To obtain a copy of the letter contact the Laboratory Accreditation Unit. The Port Townsend Wastewater Treatment Plant lab did a study showing the plastic bottles improved precision and resulted in lower blanks when compared to glass bottles.
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