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Learning Quality Assurance/Quality Control Using U.S. EPA Techniques. An Undergraduate Course for Environmental Chemistry Majors
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Abstract
Chemical analyses should always be accompanied by activities that ensure and document quality control (QC). An undergraduate course in environmental analysis is a practical point at which to teach this, as the U.S. EPA has developed a standard set of QC activities. Such a course should be a requirement for all environmental chemistry programs because the collection of reliable and defensible data is central to regulatory monitoring work as well as modeling efforts and risk assessment. In the environmental realm, QC includes activities associated with sampling, sample preservation and storage, method validation, and analysis involving solids, liquids, and gases. Students should be led to discover the need for QC by first performing analyses with little guidance. This is followed by a class discussion in which they critique their data. Once convinced of the value of QC, students learn specific techniques by performing an Initial Demonstration of Capability for a relatively simple analysis in which they perform an instrumental calibration, determine method detection limits, and demonstrate adequate precision and accuracy. Particular focus is put on the use of spreadsheets for generating forms, producing control charts, and performing statistical tests. A variety of analytical methods are covered, including atomic and molecular spectrometry, ion selective electrodes, and gas chromatography.
Keywords (Audience):
First-Year Undergraduate / GeneralKeywords (Domain):
Environmental ChemistryKeywords (Pedagogy):
Collaborative / Cooperative LearningKeywords (Subject):
Instrumental MethodsCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 4 ACS Journal articles (4 most recent appear below).
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Benjamin Schazmann , Fiona Regan , Mary Ross , Dermot Diamond and Brett PaullJournal of Chemical Education2009 86 (9), 1085Quality control (QC) measures are less prevalent in teaching laboratories than commercial settings possibly owing to a lack of commercial incentives or teaching resources. This article focuses on the use of QC assessment in the analytical techniques of ...
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Devon A. CancillaJournal of Chemical Education2001 78 (12), 1652Integration of Environmental Analytical Chemistry with Environmental Law: The Development of a Problem-Based Laboratory
Devon A. CancillaJournal of Chemical Education2001 78 (12), 1652Environmental chemists face difficult challenges related to generating, interpreting, and communicating complex chemical data in a manner understandable by nonchemists. For this reason, it is essential that environmental chemistry students develop the ...
Constructing Environmental Impact Statements. An Organizational Focus for Teaching Analytical Environmental Chemistry
Susan M. LibesJournal of Chemical Education1999 76 (12), 1649Constructing Environmental Impact Statements. An Organizational Focus for Teaching Analytical Environmental Chemistry
Susan M. LibesJournal of Chemical Education1999 76 (12), 1649Preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) is the organizational focus for an undergraduate lab course in environmental chemistry. Students work collaboratively through the semester to prepare an EIS following National Environmental Policy Act ...
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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