Data validation and risk assessment -- some pitfalls when evaluating VOC measurements

Data validation, as described in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols under the Contract Laboratory Program (CLP), yields false confidence in the data and drives up costs while providing little benefit (Korte and Brown 1992). Commonly, these data are then used to perform a risk assessment. Much of the published guidance for risk assessments in and arid soils is inadequate because it does not take into account vapor migration due to density-driven flow (Korte and others 1992). Investigations into both of these problems have been performed by personnel of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and are described in this presentation