Operations and Procedures:
Sample Analysis
page 6 of 11

### Rapid Laboratory Analyses

During the initial phases of the incident, EPA tools such as Water Contaminant Information Tool (WCIT), may help identify rapid laboratory methods that could be used to quickly provide data (e.g., contaminant identification) and address public health concerns. These types of analyses are generally performed during the initial phases of an incident and may include reduced QC to decrease data turnaround times.

- Examples
- Rapid Methods

Examples

Some examples of rapid laboratory analyses include:

- 'Shake and shoot' sample preparation for extractable organics
- Headspace procedures for volatile organic analytes (VOAs)
- Immunoassays for various classes of compounds
- Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology methods for biological agents

Rapid Methods

Rapid methods may have the following limitations:

- May not be fully validated "standard" methods
- May not provide highly accurate quantification of the contaminant
- May have known tendency to produce false positive or false negative results
- Limited availability of rapid methods for biological analytes

Laboratories should develop internal QA/QC to support their use of rapid methods and always report data as, "Preliminary Data Pending Confirmation."

Top ▲
page 6 of 11