What’s Going On In the Lab?
Updates from DHEC’s Office of Environmental Laboratory Certification
By Alfred Baquiran, DHEC Laboratory Certification Officer
Methods Update Rule and The Biological Rule
The year 2007 has brought a number of changes to the environmental laboratory community. Perhaps the most significant change has been the EPA’s promulgation of the Methods Update Rule (MUR) on March 12, 2007. This rule approves several new analytical methods for use under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. The MUR withdraws many of the older EPA methods. Therefore, it will impact laboratories still using these older methods. Correspondence concerning the MUR has been submitted to all laboratories and they are in the process of updating their certification. It is the goal of this Office to have the certifications updated by the end of the current fiscal year (2007). We are hopeful this process will go smoothly, but there are always a few bumps along the way and we will work through them to the best of our ability. In addition to the MUR, EPA has promulgated the Biological Rule, new analysis methods for biological pollutants in wastewater and sewage sludge. This final rule was published on March 26, 2007. To obtain copies of the Biological Rule and the MUR, please visit www.scdhec.gov/labcert.
EPA FAQs
As with any new regulation, the promulgation of the MUR has raised a number of questions for laboratories and state regulators as well. For example, there have been questions regarding the preservation techniques for cyanide and hexavalent chromium. There have also been questions regarding the difference between analysis methods published in the 21 st Edition of Standard Methods and Standard Methods Online. These are just a few examples of the questions we have received. Whenever our Office receives a question regarding the MUR, we normally forward it to the EPA for clarification. For EPA frequently asked questions regarding the MUR visit
www.epa.gov/waterscience/methods/update2003/questions.html.
Statewide Meeting
We encourage our certified laboratories to continue to submit questions and issues concerning the MUR and Biological Rule to our Office so that we can work through these changes together in an effective manner. Our Office is currently planning a statewide meeting for certified laboratories to be held in late Fall 2007. This meeting will address the changes brought about by the recently promulgated rules along with other important issues concerning the Office of Environmental Laboratory Certification. Further details about this meeting will be provided once the date and topics are finalized. If there are topics you would like us to address during the meeting, please contact our office (803) 896-0970, or visit our website at www.scdhec.gov/labcert.