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Environmental Chemistry QA

Obtaining reliable environmental analytical data on which to base critical decisions is the ultimate goal for regulated entities, parties involved in litigation, or businesses responsible for environmental remedial activities.  Environmental Standards Chemistry Quality Assurance group is the premier provider of expert solutions developed to meet a wide range of chemistry quality assurance needs.

Ensuring that you receive compliant and usable environmental analytical data from your contract or in-house laboratory is best achieved by a process that is put in place over time. While you will see improvements by implementing parts of the process, the greatest benefits are realized by integrating all of Environmental Standards’ Chemistry Quality Assurance services in a comprehensive program that defines the systems necessary to obtain reliable data.

Corporate Laboratory Programs
A well-developed Corporate Laboratory Program improves technical quality, customer service, laboratory consistency, and cost efficiency while providing a mechanism to simplify contracting practices. We have developed (and are currently maintaining) laboratory programs for numerous clients, many of whom realize a 20 to 30 percent annual savings in analytical costs. Our professionals assess your needs, identify candidate laboratories, perform on-site laboratory audits, oversee performance evaluation studies, and develop comprehensive technical requests for proposals and evaluate laboratory responses.

Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Preparation
A comprehensive QAPP leads to consistent quality of field sampling efforts and generation of reliable analytical data. Environmental Standards has prepared project-specific QAPPs by carefully documenting the sampling and analysis quality assurance and quality control procedures necessary to achieve project data quality objectives. We avoid the pitfalls – such as delays, excessive costs, and jeopardizing an industry’s relationship with regulators – of submitting a deficient QAPP for agency review.

Laboratory Audits
Laboratory audits are an important tool for assessing liabilities that may arise from using a commercial laboratory. Our Chemistry Quality Assurance Department has performed hundreds of audits of laboratories in North America, Central and South America, and Europe on behalf of industrial clients, potentially responsible party committees, and engineering firms. These rigorous audits may exceed regulatory-based and ISO Standard 17025 requirements.

  • Benzene Waste Operations NESHAP Laboratory Audits
  • BWON Laboratory Audits
  • Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Laboratory Audits
  • Radioactive Material Laboratory Audits
  • Dioxin/Furan Laboratory Audits
  • Microbiology Laboratory Audits

Environmental Standards performs audits on behalf of refineries that must comply with a consent decree. Environmental Standards audits laboratories that perform analysis of Benzene Waste Operations NESHAP (BWON) samples for compliance with proper analytical and quality assurance/quality control procedures.

Third-Party Data Validation
Analytical results that are generated from environmental samples become the basis for assessments and remedial decisions. The degree to which data are valid can make the difference between a correct assessment and an unnecessary cleanup effort. We examine raw data to determine if a particular analysis conforms to client, method, and regulatory agency specifications. Our data validation offers justification and reassurance that analytical data are usable for their intended purpose and will withstand rigorous litigation proceedings or agency scrutiny.
Related: Ten Problems Observed During Routine Third-Party Environmental Data Validation 

Methods Evaluation and Development
Unique chemicals of concern at many investigation sites often cannot be analyzed for by standard US EPA methods or may require special preparation and analysis procedures, low detection limits, or modifications to reduce interferences. Our chemists evaluate and develop analytical methods to provide solutions for non-routine chemical analysis by altering the design of a US EPA method to achieve a project-specific requirement or by developing a new analytical method for a specific chemical or matrix.

Litigation Support Services
Environmental Standards personnel have provided chemistry and quality assurance litigation support services to private industry, insurance companies, and legal firms. Our technical review of investigation and remediation documents provides litigation strategies for questioning opposing witnesses on critical technical issues. We have provided third-party damage claims review, including CERCLA cost recovery claims analysis, to help clients develop a technical basis for challenging unrealistic damage claims.

Supplier Management
Regardless of your business, vendors and suppliers play a key role in your success.  However, managing and administering the supply chain quality of vendors’ products and services can be an expensive, time consuming, and highly technical task.  The professionals at Environmental Standards, Inc. support you in your role by providing third party supplier management services.

Our consultative approach results in an accurately budgeted, organization-specific solution.  The services we offer include:

  • Vendor Technical Specifications Manual development
  • Vendor Selection Support
  • On Site Audits
  • Product Specifications
  • Quality Systems
  • Control of Test Equipment
  • Quality and Source of Raw Materials
  • Control of Non-Conforming Product
  • Corrective Actions
  • Certification/Accreditation Review
  • Reporting and Trend Analysis
  • Licenses and Permits
  • Validation Certificates of Analyses for Finished Products
  • Record Maintenance
  • Handling, Storage, Packaging, and Delivery