ECCS | Resources

Resources | Literature

Over the years, we have fielded many excellent questions from our clients regarding methods, reporting, unique pesticide testing challenges, and mobile laboratory viability.

Ask the Chemist is an opportunity for our network to ask ECCS chemists analytical questions that pertain to environmental investigation and remediation projects.

Our objective is to provide valuable information to our network that is relevant to the day-to-day tasks you perform. If you would like to subscribe to Ask the Chemist, click here.

If you would like to Ask the Chemist, hit the logo below:

Ask the Chemist Vol. 1 - pH and Ammonia

Why is it necessary to record the pH and temperature of a groundwater sample when ammonia is a target analyte?

Ask the Chemist Vol. 2 - Dry Weight vs. Wet Weight Results

The report I received from one laboratory for my soil analysis cites the units µg/kg "wet." A report from a different laboratory stated "all results reported on an as-is basis unless otherwise noted." Yet a third laboratory reported the results as being "dry." Help!?

Ask the Chemist Vol. 3 - 1,4-Dioxane Reporting Limits

I am going to be testing groundwater at a site that is suspected to be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, and the cleanup standard for groundwater is 3 ug/L. However, I am looking at some laboratory reports for reference, and the limit of detection is 70 ug/L (Method 8260), which is too high to give us meaningful data for this site. Why is the reporting limit for 1,4-dioxane in water so much higher than the other volatiles on the 8260 list? Can anything be done to achieve a meaningful reporting limit?

Ask the Chemist Vol. 4 - Alternative Explosives Analysis

What are the main differences between the explosives Methods 8095 and 8330?