ELPAT program: background and current status

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  The results of round 9 of the Environmental Lead Proficiency Analytical Testing (ELPAT) program were discussed. ELPAT was a program administered by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) in cooperation with NIOSH and the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate and improve the performance of laboratories performing analyses associated with lead (7439921) abatement. The program was part of the National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program, an EPA sponsored project for recognizing private and state laboratory accreditation systems. Any interested laboratory could participate in the ELPAT program. Proficiency test samples for the participants were prepared by the Research Triangle Institute, an AIHA contractor, using paint chips, dusts, and soils. Four samples of each matrix were prepared. The samples were sent out each calendar quarter (round). Laboratories were rated based upon their performance in the ELPAT program over the past year (four rounds) for each lead matrix: paint chips, soil, and dust wipes. A laboratory was rated as proficient for a specific lead matrix if all four results were reported and all were designated as acceptable for the last two consecutive rounds or at least 75% of the results reported in the last four consecutive rounds were judged acceptable. A total of 324 laboratories participated in round 9 which was sent out in November 1994. The laboratories used analytical techniques such as flame and graphite atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, or ICP mass spectrometry. The percentages of outliers in the analysis of each lead matrix were: paint chips 4.6 to 10.5%, soils 7.5 to 17.2%, and dust wipes 4.4 to 9.7%. The percentages of laboratories rated as proficient for each lead matrix were 89.5 to 95.4% for paint chips, 82.8 to 92.5% for the soil samples, and 90.3 to 95.6% for the dust wipes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Dust Metals, Heavy Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Chemical-analysis Dust-analysis Heavy-metals Industrial-hygiene NIOSH-Author Performance-capability Statistical-analysis
• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DPSE - Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  439-445
• Volume:
  10
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00227023
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1995 May; 10(5):439-445
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Editor(s):
  Schlecht PC; Groff JH
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d9c18db764f76f50613a3d533b94b5e4ab3d1dee56aef8c098c9f954f8917402e63970ad96b3e9caa91beffbef78dc03acc7a796dfd95972e9c55ce7be295342
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204595/cdc_204595_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 928.72 KB ]