222392 Apples and Oranges of "Validated" Sampling and Analytical Methods

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Dean Lillquist, PhD, MSPH, CIH , Salt Lake Technical Center, USDOL/OSHA, Salt Lake City, UT
Risk assessments are only as good and the sampling and analytical methods used to quantify exposure levels and fully validated sampling and analytical methods are the necessary foundation. In addition, new sampling and analytical methods are in constant demand to evaluate new compounds, emerging issues, reactive compounds, single media to collect multiple analytes, etc.. Globalization, downsizing, and outsourcing are impacting historical sources for new method development. Government and the private sector continue to participate in this area with an increasing role for consensus standard groups such as ASTM and ISO and their sampling and analytical methods. However, the term “fully validated method” is not a standardized term, with many examples of poor results, making it buyer beware. Every investigator should ask if the sampling and analytical method is valid to their application and which specific criteria need to be evaluated. OSHA has been developing sampling and analytical methods for 40 years, has learned a great deal, and has standard protocols to evaluate effects of critical environmental variable.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Occupational health and safety

Learning Objectives:
1) Be able to describe the need for using validated sampling and analytical methods in exposure assessments and risk assessments. 2) Be able to list some important environmental variables that may affect sample reproducibility, accuracy and precision. 3) Be able to review existing sampling and analytical method for their development against important environmental variable.

Keywords: Environmental Exposures, Occupational Exposure

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: no conflicts of interest or commercial interest
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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