2242 Anal. zyxwvutsr Chem. 1980, zyxwvu 52, 2242-2249 Guidelines for Data Acquisition and Data Quality Evaluation in Environmental Chemistry ACS COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT Daniel MacDougall, Chairman Joginder La1 General Manager Manager, Exploratory Polymers Dow Pharmaceuticals-Canada Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Francis J. Amore Senior Research Chemist Henkel Corporation Geraldine V. Cox Technical Vice President Chemical Manufacturers Association Donald G. Crosby Professor, Department of Environmental Toxicology University of California Francis L. Estes Consultant for Environmental Sciences David H. Freeman Professor of Chemistry Department of Chemistry University of Maryland William E. Gibbs Vice President and Director of Research and De- velopment American Hoechst Corporation Glen E. Gordon Professor of Chemistry Department of Chemistry University of Maryland Lawrence H. Keith Manager Analytical Chemistry Division Radian Corporation Ralph R. Langner Director, Industrial Hygiene Laboratory Dow Chemical U.S.A. Nina I. McClelland Vice-president, Technical Services National Sanitation Foundation Wendell F. Phillips Senior Research Scientist Campbell Soup Company Robert B. Pojasek Technical Director of Hazardous/Toxic Substances Management Weston Inc. Robert E. Sievers Professor and Co-Chairman Department of Chemistry University of Colorado Committee Staff Robert G. Smerko Director, Department of Public Affairs American Chemical Society David C. Wimert Committee Liaison Department of Public Affairs American Chemical Society SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY Warren B. Crummett, Chairman Herbert A. Laitinen Technical Manager, Analytical Laboratories Graduate Research Professor Michigan Division Department of Chemistry Dow Chemical U.S.A. University of Florida Francis J. Amore Wendell F. Phillips Senior Research Chemist Senior Research Scientist Henkel Corporation Campbell Soup Company David H. Freeman Michael M. Reddy Professor of Chemistry Research Scientist IV Department of Chemistry Geological Survey University of Maryland U.S. Department of Interior Robert Libby John K. Taylor Associate Director Coordinator for Quality Assurance and Voluntary Corporate Technology Division Standardization Proctor & Gamble Center for Analytical Chemistry Miami Valley Laboratories National Bureau of Standards PREFACE so much that results were not useful for interlaboratory comparisons. Furthermore, the Committee questioned the validity of some analytical methods used to generate data; the analytical methods used often are not written in a form complete enough to allow others to understand how the analysis was conducted. The Committee has directed its Subcommittee on Envi- ronmental Analytical Chemistry to develop a set of guidelines Sound environmental analytical chemical measurements are essential to provide the data needed to ensure the quality of the environment and the health of the public. In September 1978 the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Envi- ronmental Improvement expressed concern that current practices used in environmental analytical chemistry varied 0003-2700/80/0352-2242$01 .OO/O 0 1980 Amerlcan Chemical Society