ESS Section Breakout Meeting
ACIL Policies and Practices Conference
March 20, 2013
Meeting Summary
Participants: - Bruce Godfrey, Chair (Curtis & Tompkins); Milton Bush (ACIL); David Friedman
(ACIL); Kim Kirkland (EPA/ORCR); Lem Walker (EPA/OW-OST); Greggory Carroll (EPA/OWOGWDW); Dan Hauptman, (EPA/OW-OGWDW); Randy Querry (A2LA); Joe Konschnik (Restek);
Charlie Carter (TestAmerica); Steve Vanderboom (Pace Analytical); Bill Kapesky (Particle
Technology Laboratories); Joann Slavin (H2M); Zonetta Popovsky (L-A-B); and Jane Thomas
(Wyoming Analytical).
Call to Order:
The Chair called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. EDT and the participants introduced
themselves.
EPA Activities
The EPA activities update section of the meeting was led off by a presentation by Kim Kirkland,
EPA Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. In her presentation (see Attached), she:
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reviewed the status and schedule of the next update to SW-846 (Update V),
reported that they plan to remove the MDL requirements from Methods 6010 and 6020
and replace them with the Lower Limit of Quantitation (LLOQ).
highlighted some of the methods that will be in the update,
discussed the policy that is being incorporated into SW-846 that will clarify the meaning
of terms such a draft, final, validated, superseded, withdrawn, etc. as they apply to SW846 methods and state that it is EPA policy that users should be permitted to employ
the latest edition of an SW-846 method whenever possible;
discussed the methods and schedule for Update VI of SW-846; and
reported that it appears that the ORCR MICE line is safe for this budget cycle.
Ms. Kirkland also asked for ACIL assistance in removing the current requirements to employ
mercury thermometers. ORCR needs data that demonstrates the equivalence of mercury and
non-mercury thermometers. Mr. Friedman is to meet with ORCR staff and determine exactly
what data is needed prior to sending out a data request to the ACIL membership.
Mr. Carter asked whether the revised method 6010, in its interference section, takes into
account the different characteristics of the old optical bench type detectors and the newer CID
types. Ms. Kirkland said she will have to look into that question.
Following Ms. Kirkland’s presentation, Lemual Walker from the Office of Water’s Office of
Science and Technology reviewed their activities with respect to wastewater testing
methodology. He reviewed the status of the 624 and 625 update package and their goal of
issuing a methods update package on a four year cycle, with interim Alternative Test Protocols
(ATP) approval package issued every two years. One issue he said his Office is facing is how to
deal with changes that ASTM makes to those methods that have been incorporated into EPA's
water program.
Mr. Walker discussed their desire to have ILI update method 608 and possibly address their
need for a method for measuring total nitrogen to replace the current approach where total
nitrogen is determined by summing the values for Kjeldahl nitrogen, nitrate and nitrite values.
Rounding out the EPA presentations, Gregory Carroll and Dan Hauptman and Judy Brisbin,
(Laboratory Certification Team Leader) from the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
discussed their program.
Mr. Hauptman reported that they have started the third cycle of UCMR laboratory audits and
stressed that when a laboratory finds positives for an analyte, the laboratory should also make
certain to test a trip blank to ensure that the positive result is real. This is an area that they will
be checking during their audits. He also reported that EPA will be hosting a stakeholder
meeting on the future of the UCMR program on May 15, 2013. The meeting will be in the form
of a webinar and a Federal Register Notice should be issued shortly.
In the new methods area, emphasis will be placed on methods for algal toxins and
pharmaceuticals. They also described the new Method 524.4 method that they hope to release
shortly. The revised method adds purge and trap flexibility and adds the option to employ
nitrogen as an alternative purge gas. He indicated that they are working on another method
approval notice that would include several vendor specific methods.
In response to a question on where EPA stands with respect to the request that ACIL made to
change the drinking water regulations to permit states to recognize third-party accreditations,
Mr. Carroll stated that while they have not been able to brief senior management on the issue
yet and therefore there has not been any decision made, a briefing is planned for April. He did
say that the current regulations permit states to use third parties for laboratory assessments.
The rest of the discussion centered around ESS members clarifying that the requested language
would not impose any requirements on states. It would only give states the ability to use or
recognize third-party accreditations, not require them to use third parties. The discussion also
helped clarify to EPA questions they had relative to ILAC and NACLA recognition and third-party
accreditation body oversight.
ACIL Third-Party Accreditation Initiative
Milton Bush reviewed ACIL’s activities relative to the initiative to change state laboratory
accreditation programs to recognize third-party Accreditation Body (AB) accreditations as an
alternative to state-only ABs. He mentioned that Florida is moving to a third-party
accreditation system and had just issued Requests for Quotation to third-party accreditation
organizations to start implementing the change.
Independent Laboratories Institute (ILI)
David Friedman updated the Section on ILI activities to establish a partnership between EPA
and the ACIL community. He discussed what has been done over the past 12 months to
implement this goal including the Spring 2012 workshop to address wastewater testing
methods which resulted in updating Methods 624 and 625, and the Fall 2013 workshop which
focused on addressing the helium shortage, measurement of available cyanide, measurement
of pH when running the TCLP, and issues related to forcing the calibration curve through
zero/zero.
Mr. Friedman also described the ILI program to develop a generic Solid Phase Extraction (SPE)
protocol that is bringing together over 9 SPE vendors, the ACIL laboratory community, three of
the EPA Program Offices and EPA Regional laboratories. He reported that a draft protocol has
been developed and the work group is currently addressing how best to validate the new
protocol.
He mentioned that near term plans include holding additional workshops to address EPA
wastewater and solid waste; reaching out to the EPA Superfund Program and offering to assist
them in bringing back their laboratory meetings; looking into the possibility of a joint EPA-ACIL
award for laboratories that reduce waste, become greener, assist their communities in
becoming more environmentally sustainable, etc.; and developing and delivering training
courses to benefit the monitoring community.
Other Issues
Brief discussions of issues related to the Service Contract Act and the DOT Sample Bottle
Transportation regulations were held.
Meetings with EPA Officials
Following the P2 meeting, Mr. Friedman arranged for a group representing ESS’s various
sectors to meet with EPA officials. The purposes of the visits were to express ACIL's
appreciation for the opportunities to have regular collaborations with EPA staff and to promote
the success of these meetings to management, and . ESS members who participated in these
visits included: Bruce Godfrey, Joann Slavin, Peter Unger, Milton Bush Joe Weitzel, and David
Friedman. Meetings were held with the office of Resource Conservation and Recovery and with
the Office of Water. EPA participants in these meetings included:
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery: Ross Elliott (Deputy Director, Materials
Recovery and Waste Management Division); Kim Kirkland, Shen-yi Yang and Charles Sellers.
Office of Water: Michael Shapiro (Deputy Assistant Administrator), Peter Grevatt (Director,
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water), Andrew Sawyers (Deputy Director, OGWDW), Eric
Burneson (Acting Director, OGWDW Standards and Risk management Division), Gregory Carroll
( OGWDW Standards and Risk Assessment Division ), Dan Hauptman (OGWW Standards and
Risk Assessment Division), David Travers (Director, Water Security Division), Rob Wood
(Director, Engineering and Analysis Division), and Jan Matuszko (Chief, Engineering & Analytical
Support Branch, Engineering and Analysis Division).
A.O.B.
None
Next Meeting Call:
The next monthly ESS Executive Committee Conference Call will be on April 18, 2013 at 11:00
a.m. EDT
Adjournment: 4:30 p.m. EDT