Washington Administrative Code › Title 173 - Ecology, Department of (See also Titles 197, 317, 372, and 508) › Chapter 173-50 - Accreditation of environmental laboratories › Section 173-50-040 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
Definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter,
				unless context clearly indicates otherwise.
"Accreditation"
- The formal recognition by the
				department that an environmental laboratory is capable of producing accurate
				and defensible analytical data. This recognition is signified by issuance of a
				written certificate accompanied by a scope of accreditation indicating the
				parameters for which the laboratory is accredited.
* The term "accredit" as used in this chapter is intended to
				have the same meaning as the term "certify" as used in
				RCW
				43.21A.230.
* Any laboratory accredited under this chapter shall be deemed
				to have been certified under
				RCW
				43.21A.230.
* The department does not, by accrediting any laboratory
				pursuant to these rules, vouch for or warrant the accuracy of any particular
				work done or report issued by that laboratory.
"Accreditation year"
- The one-year period as
				stated on the certificate of accreditation.
"Accuracy"
- The degree to which an analytical
				result corresponds to the true or accepted value for the sample being tested.
				Accuracy is affected by bias and precision.
"Analyte"
- The constituent or property of a
				sample measured using an analytical method.
"Analytical data"
- The recorded qualitative
				and/or quantitative results of a chemical, physical, biological,
				microbiological, radio-chemical, or other scientific determination.
"Analytical method"
- A written procedure for
				acquiring analytical data.
"Audit"
- An inspection and evaluation of
				laboratory facilities, equipment, records, and staff. This may be on-site or
				virtual.
"Calibration curve"
- A series of standards of
				known concentrations used to determine the relationship between concentration
				and analytical response.
"Data traceability"
or
"traceability"
- The ability to recreate the final result by means of records. This must be an
				unbroken trail of accountability for verifying or validating the chain of
				custody of samples, the data, the documentation of a procedure, or the values
				of a standard.
"Department"
- The state of Washington department
				of ecology when the term is not followed by another state designation.
"Drinking water certification manual"
- The
				Environmental Protection Agency
Manual for the Certification of
				Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water
, 5th Edition, January
				2005.
"Ecology accrediting authority"
- The supervisor
				of the lab accreditation unit of the environmental assessment program of the
				department of ecology.
"Environmental laboratory"
or
"laboratory"
- A facility:
* Under the ownership and technical management of a single
				entity in a single geographical location or in a self-contained mobile
				unit;
* Where scientific determinations are performed on samples
				taken from the environment, including drinking water samples; and
* Where data are submitted to the department of ecology,
				department of health, or other entity requiring the use of an accredited
				laboratory under provisions of a regulation, permit, or contractual
				agreement.
"Instrument"
or
"instrumentation"
-
				Equipment used to measure an analyte or analytes.
"Lab accreditation unit"
- The lab accreditation
				unit of the department of ecology.
"Laboratory control sample"
or
"LCS"
(also known as a "laboratory fortified blank" or "LFB") - An aliquot of analyte
				free water or ana-lyte-free solid (e.g., Ottawa sand, anhydrous sodium sulfate,
				or other purified solid) to which known amounts of the method analytes are
				added.
"Limit of quantitation"
or
"LOQ"
-
				The smallest concentration that produces a quantitative result with acceptable
				precision and accuracy, as required by data quality objectives.
"Matrix"
- The material to be analyzed, including,
				but not limited to, ground or surface water, wastewater, drinking water, air,
				solid waste, soil, tissue, nuclear waste, and hazardous waste. For the purposes
				of establishing a fee structure (WAC
				173-50-190(4)),
				matrices are grouped as follows:
* Nonpotable water;
* Drinking water;
* Solid and chemical materials; and
* Air and emissions.
"Matrix spike"
or
"MS"
- An aliquot
				of environmental samples to which known concentrations of certain target
				analytes have been added before sample preparation, cleanup, and determinative
				procedures have been performed.
"Method detection limit"
or
"MDL"
-
				The minimum concentration of an analyte that can be measured and reported with
				a 99 percent confidence that the analyte concentration is distinguishable from
				the method blank results as determined by the procedure set forth in Appendix B
				of 40 C.F.R. Part 136.
"Out-of-state laboratory"
- A laboratory that is
				not located in the state of Washington.
"Parameter"
- The combination of one or more
				analytes determined by a specific analytical method in a specific matrix.
				Examples of parameters include:
* The analyte alkalinity by method SM 2320 B in nonpotable
				water;
* The analyte arsenic by method EPA 200.8 in drinking
				water;
* The analyte benzene by method EPA 8260 in solid and chemical
				materials; and
* The analyte fecal coliform-count by method SM 9222 D in
				nonpotable water.
"Principal laboratory"
- A laboratory designated
				by the Washington department of health to support the drinking water
				certification program.
"Procedural manual"
- The most recent version of
				the
Department of Ecology's Procedural Manual for the Environmental
				Laboratory Accreditation Program
.
"Proficiency testing (PT)"
- Analysis of samples
				in the accredited matrix, the true values of which are known to the supplier of
				the samples but unknown to the laboratory conducting the analyses. PT samples
				are provided by a source external to the environmental laboratory.
"Quality assurance (QA)"
- Activities intended to
				assure that a quality control program is effective. A QA program is a totally
				integrated program for assuring reliability of measurement data.
"Quality assurance (QA) manual"
- A written record
				intended to assure the reliability of measurement data. A QA manual documents
				policies, organization, objectives, and specific QC and QA activities. Volume
				and scope of QA manuals vary with complexity of the laboratory mission.
"Quality control (QC)"
- The overall system of
				technical activities that measures the attributes and performance of a process,
				item, or service against defined standards to verify that they meet the stated
				requirements established by the customer; operational techniques and activities
				that are used to fulfill requirements for quality.
"Regulatory program"
- A program administered by a
				federal, state, or other regulatory agency.
"Standard operating procedure"
or
"SOP"
- A detailed written description of a procedure designed to
				systematize performance of the procedure.
"Third-party accreditation"
- Recognition by the
				ecology accrediting authority of accreditation granted by another accrediting
				authority.
"WA ELAP"
- Washington state environmental
				laboratory accreditation program.
Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				  43.21A.230,
				  43.20.050 and 2009 c 564 §
				  301. 10-17-032 (Order 09-09), § 173-50-040, filed 8/9/10, effective
				  9/9/10. Statutory Authority:
				  RCW
				  43.21A.230. 02-20-090 (Order 01-12), §
				  173-50-040, filed 10/1/02, effective 11/1/02; 93-20-011 (Order 92-53), §
				  173-50-040, filed 9/22/93, effective 10/23/93; 90-21-090 (Order 90-21), §
				  173-50-040, filed 10/19/90, effective 11/19/90; 89-10-001 and 90-07-017 (Order
				  89-1 and 89-1A), § 173-50-040, filed 4/20/89 and 3/13/90, effective
				  4/13/90.