Columbia Analytical Services, Inc.’s Kelso laboratory recently expanded its analytical chemistry capabilities to include a full suite of Drinking Water (DW) procedures. Along with the more conventional inorganic analytes, CAS has added the following organic methods to provide a comprehensive array of drinking water testing:

A new laboratory specifically designed for semi-volatile organic DW testing is now operational. The laboratory is fitted with all new instrumentation, including an ion trap mass spectrometer, a 6890 gas chromatograph with electron capture detectors (GC/ECD), and a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) with post column derivitization. Sample preparation is performed primarily using automated solid phase extraction. The new laboratory is dedicated to drinking water analyses exclusively to prevent cross contamination from environmental samples. CAS, already a leader in providing legally defensible data and electronic deliverables to the environmental sector, provides the same level of technical quality and integrity for drinking water determinations. Unlike the environmental sector, drinking water testing has not received the same level of scrutiny as other analytical testing related to public safety.

Validation of test results is seldom performed. In fact, the end users of the data, i.e. public water systems, seldom require the reporting of quality control results. When choosing a laboratory to provide analyses for compliance purposes, it is advisable for public water systems to ensure that the data they are receiving is legally defensible and for their selected laboratory to be able to provide all the necessary documentation and demonstration of quality control outlined in the specific methods, upon request. A state certification does not guarantee that the data is reliable or defensible. All data reported by CAS is documented and legally defensible regardless of the level of reporting to the end user.

A primary objective of the CAS Drinking Water Program is to meet the anticipated increase in regulatory oversight of laboratory data for drinking water. CAS has incorporated the same high standards of Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) to this testing that we have in the environmental field. Our corporate QA/QC systems and active Ethics Program are the impetus for meeting the evolving need for reliable DW results.

In addition to the testing performed in CAS’ Kelso lab, CAS Houston is certified for dioxins in drinking water in a number of states through NELAP reciprocity and individual state programs. Dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD) is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA MCL for TCDD is 30 ppq. Individual states often regulate dioxins at even lower levels.

There can be no doubt about it— Ethics is the cornerstone of an effective quality system. Laboratories must provide good reliable data and do it right. Clients should not be concerned about data integrity or data acceptability years down the road. But, despite comprehensive quality control requirements, there have been examples of ethical lapses by laboratories in the past few years that have called into question the validity of their results, giving the entire laboratory community a bad name.

To ensure reliable, accurate data, the CAS Ethics Program has been implemented company-wide to complement our stringent QA program. Comprehensive ethics training explicitly details what is the right thing to do and is mandatory for every employee, including the President/CEO. An 8-hour orientation initiates each employee, while on-going quarterly sessions address specific topics. Ethics has become a part of every day conversation at CAS.

On-going subjects range from specific laboratory issues to trustworthiness and respect, and include all the processes in the laboratory from accounting to bench top analyses. CAS wants to make sure every employee knows what the company expects, particularly when a difficult ethical choice is presented. It also provides tools for employees to evaluate situations where there is not a clear-cut right answer and allows them to develop a scenario to react in the proper way according to CAS’ Core Values.

The Corporate Ethics Officer reports directly to the Board of Directors and is a member of the Ethics Officer Association. CAS is also a member of the Institute for Global Ethics.

In addition to the continuous training program, other key components of the CAS Ethics Program include the Ombudsman Program, the Open Door Policy, detailed data integration SOPs, specialized technical training courses, indepth internal and external audits, and specific detailed inspections of original instrumental data tapes. These programs are supplemented by explicit ethics policies in the employee handbook. CAS requires that each employee review and sign the Commitment to Excellence in Data Quality (Ethics Code of Conduct) on an annual basis. CAS also participates in the ACIL Seal of Excellence program.

The CAS Ethics Program has gained such respect and recognition in the industry that the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL) has asked CAS to design the RFP for the development of an Ethics Program for all their member laboratories. Improving ethics at all laboratories is good for everyone in the laboratory industry.