40 CFR Part 58 Appendix A (Quality Assurance Requirements):

"Each monitoring organization is required to implement a quality system that provides sufficient

information to assess the quality of the monitoring data. The quality system must, at a minimum,

include the specific requirements described in this appendix of this subpart. Failure to conduct

or pass a required check or procedure; or a series of required checks or procedures, does not by

itself invalidate datafor regulatory decision making. Rather, monitoring agencies and EPA shall

use the checks and procedures required in this appendix in combination with other data quality

information, reports, and similar documents showing overall compliance with part 58.

Accordingly, EPA and monitoring agencies shall use a "weight of evidence" approach when

determining the suitability of data for regulatory decisions. The EPA reserves the authority to

use or not use monitoring data submitted by a monitoring organization when making regulatory

decisions based on the EPA IS assessment of the quality of the data. Generally, consensus built

validation templates or validation criteria already approved in Quality Assurance Project Plans

(QAPPs) should be used as the basis for the weight of evidence approach"

Validation Templates follow "Weight of Evidence" Paradigm!

Critical Criteria - observations that do not meet each and every criterion on the critical criteria

table should be invalidated unless there are compelling reason and justification for not doing so.

The sample or group of samples for which one or more ofthese criteria are not met is invalid

until proven otherwise. The cause of not operating in the acceptable range for each of the

violated criteria must be investigated and minimized to reduce the likelihood that additional

samples will be invalidated. As indicated the zero/span/precision checks are the only QC checks

identified in this category.

Operational Evaluations- criteria that are important for maintaining and evaluating the quality

of the data collection. Violation of a criterion or a number of criteria may be cause for

invalidation. The decision maker should consider other quality control information that mayor

may not indicate the data are acceptable for the parameter being controlled. Therefore, the

sample or group of samples for which one or more of these criteria are not met is suspect unless

other quality control information demonstrates otherwise. The reason for not meeting the criteria

must be investigated, mitigated or justified.

Systematic Issues - criteria which are important for the correct interpretation of the data but do

not usually impact the validity of a sample or group of samples.

1From Appendix 0 of QA Handbook for Air Pollution Measurement Systems Vol II Ambient Air Quality Monitoring

Program
Partial Validation Template for S02

1) Requirement 2) Frequency 3) Acceptance Criteria Information /Action

CRITICAL CRITERIA- S02

1 and 2) 40 CFR Part 58 AQQA See 3.2

One Point QC Check

< ± I0% (percent

1/2 weeks 3) Recommendation based on DQO in 40 CFR

Single analyzer

difference) Part 58 App A See 2.3.1.2 QC Check Cone

range 0.01 - 0.10 ppm relative to routine cone.

Zero/span check Zero drift S± 1.5 ppb 1 and 2) QA Handbook Volume 2 Section 12.3

1/ 2 weeks

Span drift :s ± 10 % 3) Recommendation and related to DQO

OPERA TIONAL CRITERIA- S02

~- .. ". -

y ~ II, 2 and 3) C?AHandbook Volume 2 Section

Shelter Temperature

Daily (hourly values) S± '" C SD over 24 hours 1'·'·' c

Control .,

Shelter Temperature

1/6 mo ±2°C of standard

1,2 and 3) QA Handbook Volume 2 Section

Device Check 7.2.2

Percent difference of audit I and 2) 40 CFR Part 58 App A see 3.2.2

Annual Every site lIyear 25 %

Performance of sites quarterly

levels3-IO~±15% 3) Recommendation - 3-audit concentrations not

Evaluation Single

Audit levels 1&2 ± 1.5 ppb including zero. AMTIC guidance 2117/20 II

Analyzer

II ~ difference or ±15% htt12:W\\\ \\ .eQa.gov'fttn7'amtic(c12reldoc.htm I

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SYSTEMATIC CRITERIA- S02

Meets requirements listed I) 40 CFR Part 58 App C Section 2.1 2)NA

Sampler/Monitor NA

in FRM/FEM designation 3) 40 CFR Part 53 & FRMlFEM method list

Standard Reporting

All data ppb (final units inAQS)

1,2 and 3) 40 CFR Part 50 App T See 2 (c)

Units

Rounding 1place after decimal with

1,2 and 3) 40 CFR Part 50 App T See 2 (c)

convention for data All data digits to right truncated reported to A QS