Quality assurance in environmental monitoring at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory

The quality assurance program for environmental monitoring that has been developed at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) consists of procedure documentation, replicate field-sample analysis, and participation in intercomparison measurements. Sampling, analytical, data processing, and record keeping procedures are described. A replicate-sample collection schedule has been established for all media sampled at LLL. At present, blind-spiked samples are not utilized. Flow rates of air samplers are verified at monthly intervals using a portable, field calibration unit. Intercomparison measurements are made on samples supplied by the Quality Assurance Branch of the Environmental Protection Agency-Environmental Monitoring and Support Laboratory and the Department of Energy-Environmental Measurements Laboratory. Replicate sampling currently accounts for approximately 8% of both the total samples collected and the analyses performed. Including standard, in-house, quality-control checks, and the intercomparison measurements, it is estimated that during 1978 quality assurance will represent about 15% of the total environmental-monitoring effort at LLL