Recovery of semivolatiles by Method 525.2 improved
Recovery of semivolatiles by Method 525.2 improved
Environmental NEWS - Summer 2007
Recovery of semivolatiles by Method 525.2 improved
EPA Method 525.2 is a popular choice for the analysis of semivolatile compounds in drinking water because it provides excellent sensitivity for a wide list of common pollutants. Many clients request this method to meet Safe Drinking Water Act requirements, as well as other types of projects that require low reporting limits. However, the method is also subject to variation in recovery of target and quality control compounds, which causes problems when analyzing client samples.
Chemist Darin Wagner preps samples using a
1L container inverted over the extraction cartridges.
Chemists at Lancaster Laboratories recently invested their time into studying the sample preparation steps required in Method 525.2 to identify and eliminate the sources of variation. By fine tuning the extraction and concentration of the samples, they developed a more reliable way to perform the method and now analyze client samples with a very high rate of passing quality control results. This translates into better turnaround time and more concise data packages for clients who request this method.
Although it was designed for drinking water, Method 525.2 is frequently used for groundwater samples with low solid content as well. “We have successfully applied this method to a site-specific compound that a client needed to track for a remediation project,” explains Chuck Neslund, manager of the GC/MS Semivolatiles Analysis Group. Neslund plans to expand the use of this method by investigating other compounds that are listed in the EPA reference but are not currently part of the target list reported by Lancaster Labs.
Lancaster Labs is also certified to perform EPA method 524.2 for Volatile Compounds. This method complements the semivolatile analysis and provides good selectivity and low detection limits for an extensive list of volatile compounds, including many common industrial solvents. For more information about these test methods, contact Environmental Business Development at 717-656-2300.