develop consensus standards for use by TNI's programs. This group has a support role in assisting other programs with activities such as guidance and standards interpretation.
fosters the generation of data of known and documented quality is through the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, or NELAP. The purpose of this program is to establish and implement a program for the accreditation of environmental laboratories.
is to establish and maintain a national PT program to support TNI’s National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, and other activities.
Field Activities Program (NEFAP) Executive Committee is to establish and implement an accreditation program for field sampling and measurement organizations (FSMOs).
Audit Sample Program is to develop consensus standards for the manufacture and analysis of audit samples for source emission testing.
on a variety of topics of interest to the environmental measurement community. TNI also hosts two regularly scheduled meetings per year, typically in January and August. Both are a week long and involve open meetings of TNI committees as well as training courses and other special sessions.Standard Interpretation
Standard: 2003 NELAC
Section: Appendix D.1.2.1 (b)
REQUEST:
In reviewing an onsite report for metals analyses, the auditor noted that the lab did perform LOD analyses annually but that the LODs for vanadium and arsenic were lower than the blank analysis and that new LODs and LOQs must be reestablished. I see nothing in D1.2.1.b that makes any comparison of an LOD to the blank results. Does an LOD need to be higher than the blank?
TNI FINAL RESPONSE:
(Quality Systems Expert Committee and NELAP AC, 10-7-13)
There is no requirement to compare the LOD with the blank. Theoretically, a blank should have no detectable contaminants. Any detection in a blank must be evaluated according to D.1.1.1d).