Data are the foundation for sound decision-making. How do you know if your data are accurate? When the integrity and quality of analytical results are uncertain, there is an increased risk in the decisions being made. Sound decisions are best made when your team has a clear picture of the project data. At Environmental Standards, we provide data validation to ensure that your team fully understands the quality of the data guiding critical project decisions. Data validation can be utilized on a project basis or included as part of a full-cycle quality system.
Why Data Validation Matters
Assumptions about data quality can be costly. Project stakeholders often trust that field and laboratory data are complete and accurate. Field team and laboratory personnel can make mistakes. Even the best internal quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) systems may allow for key issues to be overlooked. Manually entered information is more likely to be incorrect, with field data and laboratory entry being largely manually entered, mistakes can occur early in data generation.
Data validation is applicable to any situation where data are being generated. Wastewater, drinking water, air compliance, and industrial hygiene data can benefit from data validation. If your data are being released to the public or a regulator, being used to develop a treatment system, or other myriad of project types, data validation can provide you confidence in the decision to utilize or release the data.
Data validation offers an unbiased, expert review to determine whether data are accurately reported and properly documented. Data validation identifies the extent to which method compliance and sample matrix has impacted data quality. It brings clarity and provides insight on the level of confidence you can place in your project data.
Your Expert Partner in Data Review
Since 1987, Environmental Standards has delivered specialized chemistry expertise for complex environmental projects. Our Chemists are technical leaders in:
- Organic and inorganic chemistry analyses
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other fluorinated chemistry analyses
- Radiochemical analyses
- Dioxin/furan congener, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener, and other high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses
We utilize all major guidance frameworks—US EPA, state agencies, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)—to evaluate data quality. Also, when timing is critical, our large and experienced chemistry staff is ready to provide expedited data validation without sacrificing quality. Experience with the analytical methods is critical as the data usability assessment guidelines available do not address all the analytical methods utilized to generate data.
What Sets Us Apart
- Unmatched Capacity: Our extensive team outpaces smaller data validation providers, enabling us to handle multiple large-scale projects simultaneously.
- Certified Experts: We employ seven Certified Environmental Analytical Chemists (CEACs)—a unique strength in our industry.
- Integrated Approach: We evaluate both field and laboratory QA/QC data for a complete picture of data integrity.
- Flexible Deliverables: Receive data validation reports in a variety of electronic formats tailored to your needs.
- Depth of knowledge: Our team includes Chemists that have a variety of backgrounds and expertise that allows us to support your projects.
Our focus is singular: Helping you make informed decisions based on the actual quality of your data.
Validation Tailored to Your Needs
From automated summary reviews to complete evaluations of laboratory deliverables, our services are customizable to match your project scope and data quality objectives. Validation levels include:
- Deliverable Completeness
- Compliance to project control documents and methods
- Qualitative identification
- Recalculation of results
- Sample matrix impacts
- Traceability of standards
We apply data qualifiers and summarize findings in clear, concise reports—so you and your regulators know the limitations and strengths of your data.
More Than a Checklist
At Environmental Standards, we can go beyond generic QA checklists. Our Chemists apply decades of expertise along with the use of rigorous SOPs based on US EPA, DoD, and state guidelines to interpret QC elements, qualify results, and highlight any concerns. Our comprehensive evaluation can provide thorough, contextual, and actionable information—designed to ensure that your decisions are grounded in an accurate understanding of the trustworthiness and defensibility of the project data.
Stephen Zeiner, CEAC
Principal Chemist
