Monday, August 10

8:00 – 8:45

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
The History of the Water Quality of the San Antonio River

9:00 – NOON

CONCURRENT SESSIONS
ENVIROMENTAL LABORATORY ADVISORY BOARD

Session Chairs Lara Autry, USEPA and Jeff Flowers, Flowers Laboratory

Opening Remarks, Roll Call and Approval of July Minutes

General Workgroup Updates
    -  Monitoring                           
    -  Measurement & Technology
    -  Laboratory Management

Comparison of Drinking Water Certification Program and TNI Standard

Method Identification Issues –
Presentation ELAB/ORCR (EPA’s Office of Research Conservation and Recovery)

Open Discussion
    -  Method Identification Issues
    -  Proficiency Test Frequency
    -  New or Old Topics

Review Action Items

TNI Mentoring Workshop: The New TNI Laboratory Accreditation Standards
Session Chair, Ken Jackson

The NELAC Institute (TNI) has approved changes to the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) that are expected to be fully implemented by 2010.  These changes will replace the 2003 NELAC standard with four new TNI standards:

• Management and Technical Requirements for Laboratories Performing Environmental Analysis
• General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Environmental Laboratories
• General Requirements for Environmental Proficiency Test Providers
• General Requirements for an Accreditor of Environmental Proficiency Test Providers

While this presentation will briefly review the requirements in all four new standards, the primary focus will be to review in detail the changes to the quality systems requirements for laboratories that perform chemical analyses.

TNI Consensus Standards Development Program

The purpose of the Consensus Standards Development Program is to develop consensus standards for the accreditation of environmental laboratories and other organizations involved in the environmental measurement process.  TNI is a voluntary consensus standards development organization that is committed to the development of standards for use by accreditation bodies.  Standards have been developed that are widely applicable, and will therefore promote a uniform national program of environmental laboratory accreditation.  These standards are modular, allowing their assembly into a series of volumes, each specifically designed for a stakeholder group (Laboratories; Accreditation Bodies; Proficiency Test Providers; and Proficiency Test Provider Oversight Bodies).  The consensus process used by TNI in standards development will be described.

A National Approach for Proficiency Testing

Proficiency Testing (PT) is defined as a means of evaluating a laboratory's performance under controlled conditions relative to a given set of criteria through analysis of unknown samples provided by an external source. The TNI PT program consists of:

• A PT Expert Committee that establishes the requirement for proficiency testing.
• A PT Board who manages the implementation of the program.
• A PT Provider Accreditor that accredits organizations as PT Providers.
• Private and public sector PT Providers that manufacture and provide PT samples and evaluate the results.

The TNI PT Expert Committee has developed standards for laboratory proficiency testing and proficiency testing samples, including: criteria for selection of the providers of the samples; protocols for the use of proficiency test samples and data in the accreditation of laboratories; and criteria for Proficiency Test Provider Accreditors (PTPAs).

Requirements for an Accreditation Body

As a means to improve the quality and consistency of environmental data throughout the United Although the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) is a national program, state governmental agencies serve as Accreditation Bodies. States, which apply to NELAP to become an accreditation body, may select to operate an accreditation program which covers all of the EPA regulatory programs or as few as one. For example, many states may select to only accredit laboratories for chemistry and microbiology under the drinking water program. Other states may select to operate a comprehensive program, which includes all types of analyses for all types of media (i.e., hazardous waste, waste water, drinking water, air, soil, etc.) under the five EPA regulatory programs [i.e., Clean Air Act (CAA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)]. There is no requirement that a state incorporate any particular portion of the possible scope into its program. The scope of accreditation, the type of laboratory included under the state’s program, including the regulatory or voluntary nature of the program itself, the assessment of fees, and the use of third party assessors are all options of the state.

Requirements for Quality Systems in Environmental Testing Laboratories

The TNI Quality Systems Committee has developed and approved a consensus quality systems standard for use by environmental testing laboratories. The standard is based on ISO 17025:2005, NELAC 2003 Chapter 5 and DoD QSM.  This new standard starts with a general requirements module which outlines the management system requirements for all environmental testing laboratories. The standard then includes modules for technical areas, Asbestos, Chemistry, Microbiology, Radiochemistry and Toxicity, and additional modules can be added addressing new technologies, new programs (Drinking Water or Homeland Security) and possibly contract compliance (DoD, Superfund or DOE).

1:30 – 5:30

CONCURRENT SESSIONS
NEMC: Accreditation
NEMC: Benefits and Challenges of New and Revised EPA Methods
NEMC: Innovative Approaches for Conventional and Emerging Pollutants

TNI: Proficiency Testing (PT)
Session Chairs: Eric Smith, TestAmerica and Shawn Kassner, ERA

• New Fields of Proficiency Testing (FoPTs), including discussion on chemical, microbiological, whole effluent toxicity, and air and emission FoPTs;
  
  
• Frequency of PT
  
  
• PT Oversight Statement of Work
  
  
• Summary of PT Expert Committee Tentative Interim Amendments and Editorial Changes
  
  
• Status of Experimental PTs
  
  

Tuesday, August 11

8:00 – 8:45

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
The Developmental Lifecycle of Commercial Laboratory Instrumentation

9:00 – NOON

CONCURRENT SESSIONS
NEMC: Chlorinated Dioxins and Other Halogenated Organics
NEMC: Emerging Technologies

TNI: Stationary Source Audit Sample Program
Session Chair: Maria Friedman, TestAmerica

• Voting draft standard
  
  
• Database

TNI: Assessment Forum: Improving Audit Consistency
Session Chair: Jack Farrell, Analytical Excellence

• A panel presentation and discussion by Data Users entitled “What do Data Users want and expect from on-site assessments to support their decision making?”
  
  
• A panel presentation and discussion by ILAC Accreditation Bodies entitled “Mechanisms used by ILAC/ISO ABs to manage and assure assessment consistency”.
  
  
• Interspersed between these panels will be ample time for participants to voice their opinions, suggestions and questions regarding how to foster assessment consistency.
  
  

1:30 – 5 :30

CONCURRENT SESSIONS
NEMC: Data Usability
NEMC: Method Flexibility
NEMC: Nanotechnology

TNI: Stationary Source Audit Sample Program (Cont.)

TNI: Consensus Standards Development Program
Session Chair, Bob Wyeth, Columbia Analytical Services

• Use of guidance documents
  
  
• Use of copyright protected language within the NELAP program,
  
  
• Activities and future plans of the Quality Systems, Accreditation Body and On-Site Assessment Committees.
  
  

Wednesday, August 12

8:00 – 12:00

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL LANDSCAPE
The Benefits of National Accreditation

The Forum on Environmental Measurement:  Cross-Agency Synergy for Measurement, Monitoring, Laboratory, and Environmental Technology Issues

TCEQ – Meeting Challenges Head On

The EPA Regulatory Agenda of the New Administration

1:30 – 5:00

EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Climate – Air Quality Linkages:  The Science Needed to Support Integrated Approaches to Managing These Two Issues

Sustainability Begins in the Lab: Scientists can be Green too

Understanding and Quantifying the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology

Development/Products of Nanotechnology

Thursday, August 13

8:00 – 8:45

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Pharmaceuticals in Water

9:00 – NOON

CONCURRENT SESSIONS
NEMC: Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products
NEMC: Sensors

TNI: Method Modifications Mentor Session
Session Chair, David Caldwell, Oklahoma DEQ

The primary objective of method flexibility is to enhance precision and accuracy for analysis.  Flexibility should not be permitted if the altered method creates a less precise or less accurate analysis than the approved standard analytical method.  The lab should list any method modifications and demonstrate by supporting data the equivalent performance of the modified method over the reference method as written.  This flexibility is available to all laboratories, regardless of size, but the key is to document the method modification.  The Method Modifications Mentor Session will provide an opportunity for discussion of how to document method modifications.

The Method Modifications Mentor Session will include detailed discussion of quality control checks that are essential and must be included in documentation including matrices for which the method  is satisfactory; data for the modified method as well as the original method; calibration; method detection limit; reagent blank; laboratory fortified blank; matrix spike and matrix spike duplicates; internal standards, surrogate standards or tracers; control charts or other trend analyses of quality control results; specific frequency of control checks; and QC acceptance criteria.  If these QC checks are not included, a written rationale that indicates why they are inappropriate must be provided. 

TNI: National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program
Session Chair, Dan Hickman, Oregon DEQ

• Implementation of the new TNI standards, including the implementation schedule, training workshops, and guidance documents
  
  
• Building the program, including an update on New Accreditation Bodies (ABs), the new AB Evaluation Standard Operating Procedure, and an update on the on-going AB recognitions that are underway.
  
  
• Continued discussion on the use of copyright protected language in state regulations, including a presentation on the Fair Use doctrine and the Peter Veeck decision.
  
  
• An open discussion on the fields of accreditation, specifically addressing the adoption of new and/or revised EPA methods, with consideration for the discussion that will occur on Monday, August 10 at the meeting of EPA’s Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board related to SW-846 methods.
  
  

1:30 – 5:30 

CONCURRENT SESSIONS
NEMC: Current Topics in Cyanide Analysis
NEMC: Sensors (Cont.)

TNI: National Environmental Field Activities Program
Session Chair, Marlene Moore, Advanced Systems

• Review of Process To Date
  
  
• Model for Recognizing NEFAP ABs
  
  
• Policies and Procedures

TNI: National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (Cont.)

Friday, August 14

8:00 – 8:45

KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Health Effects of Exposure to Metallic Species

9:00 - NOON

CONCURRENT SESSIONS
NEMC: Climate Change and Air Methods
NEMC: General Topics
NEMC: Metals Speciation

TNI: Board of Directors
Session Chair, Steve Arms, Florida DEP

• NELAP
• NEPTP
• NEFAP
• Administration
  
  

Registration Category

Full Conference

One Day

Attendee

$450

$195

TNI Committee Member / Board Member

$335

$155