UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON , D

. C

. 20460



## AUG 0 8 2014

MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Particle Pollution Quality Assurance FROM: Janet G.

### McCab~**....tt-G::· .:/~L'­**  Acting Assistant Administrator TO: Arthur A. Elkins Jr. , Inspector General Office of Inspector General OFFICE O F AIR AND RADIATION

As part of our responsibilities under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Prot ection Agency (EPA) conducts Technical System Audits (TSA) of state and loca l ambient air monitoring programs. These audits review and evaluate all aspects ofthe monitoring program from field operations to laboratory operations and include a review ofthe quality assurance/quality contro l (QA/QC) criteria in place at various steps in these monitoring programs . Recently, our audits have identified concerns with four monitoring laboratori es associated with three state and local programs located in Regions 4 and 5. These laboratories did not meet certain critical QA/QC criteria related to the weighing ofthe fine particle (PM2

.s) filters, and as a result, data from these filters must be invalidated. The loss ofthese data related to the weighing ofthe fine particle (PM2.s) filters is of concern. I note, however, that we have redundancies in our air monitoring program, including data from non-filter based PM2.s monitors, which were unaffected and continued to provide reliable air quality information to the public in these areas (e.g., airnow.gov). In addition and importantly, EPA 's audits of other monitoring programs did not identify issues of concern extending beyond these particular laboratories. In fact, in response to the detection ofthese discrepancies, OAQPS, in conjunction with the EPA Regional Offices, conducted an even more detailed review ofthe status of all laboratories involved with PM2

.s analyses across the country and found, with the exception ofthe four laboratories above, reliabl e results based on TSAs conducted over the past 3 years. While we have worked with the affected states to identify a path forward to resolve t he concerns for the areas affected by this data quality issue and taken immediate steps to address the problems identified and remain confident that these data quality issues are li mited to these laboratories, we wanted to inform you ofthis situation given your office's critical programmatic audit and oversight role at the EPA. I am also aware that your office is initiating a review ofthe Region 6 PM data program so our recent audit findings may be timely and important for you to consider.

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e rn et Add r ess ( U RL) • htt p : //www.epa

.gov Recycled/Recyclable • P rint ed w ith Ve getable O il B as ed Ink s on 1 00% Postconsu me r, P r ocess C h lorine Free Recyc led PaperWhile I am happy to provide you more detailed information , I wanted to advise you that the O ffice of Air Quality Planning and S tandards (OAQPS) has been working closely with the Regions and affected states to ensure that actions are taken in the national Air Quality System database to flag or invalidate

data , as appropriate. They have also been working diligently to ensure t hat appropriate corrective actions

are taken , which to date have included the closure of the related s tate and local laboratories in Region 4 , and the review of operational procedures and implementation of recommendations in the local laborator y in Region 5. In addition, an in dep endent audit of all of the labs in Region 5 that conduct PM analyses will be completed within the next 60 days , and a review of s tate grants language to emphasize the states' responsibility for overseeing the monitoring program is underway. OAQPS is also in the process of developing training and outreach materials to ensure national awareness of these problems

across all monitoring agencies. Through these actions , we believe the problems can be corrected and avoided in the future.

Again, based upon the data in TSAs conducted across th e country, the EPA believes the issues de s cribed above are limited to th e areas id en tified above, and the agency is actively working to address these issues. If you have any questions regarding our audit program, please feel free to contact me directly or

your staff may contact Chet Wayland (wayland.richard@epa.gov) or Lew Weinstock (weinstock.lewis@epa.gov) of my staff for further information. We would be happy to arrange a meeting with your staff to discuss these is sues.