Summary of the Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board Meeting January 21 2015;

SUMMARY OF THE
ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
Teleconference: 866-299-3188/9195415544#
January 21, 2015; 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. EST
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board
(ELAB or Board) teleconference was held on January 21, 2015. The agenda for this meeting is
provided as Attachment A, a list of the participants is provided as Attachment B, and action
items from the teleconference are included as Attachment C. The official certification of the
minutes by the Chair or Vice-Chair is included as Attachment D.
AGENDA ITEMS:
1. OPENING REMARKS
Ms. Patty Carvajal, Vice-Chair of ELAB, and Ms. Lara Phelps, Designated Federal Official of
ELAB, welcomed participants to the teleconference and called an official roll of the Board
members and guests.
2. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER MINUTES
Ms. Carvajal asked whether any members had comments regarding the December teleconference
minutes. Dr. Charlie Carter moved to accept the minutes, and Dr. Henry Leibovitz seconded the
motion. The Board approved the December minutes unanimously with no changes.
3. OPENING REMARKS AND NEWS
Ms. Phelps noted that Ms. Susan Mazur and Ms. Cindy Nettrour have resigned from the Board.
The resignations have not disrupted the membership balance, but it will be necessary to
determine whether the absences have a negative impact on ELAB's ability to manage and
complete its tasks. If so, new Board members will need to be appointed via the established
process.
The Board has the authority to create and implement policies with which to govern itself,
provided that they do not conflict with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. For example,
ELAB instituted email voting procedures within the past few years. Ms. Phelps noted that there
has been confusion regarding what constitutes "active participation." To reduce this confusion,
she, Ms. Carvajal and Ms. Patsy Root discussed the possibility of implementing an ELAB
attendance/participation policy. Dr. Carter agreed that an attendance/participation policy was
sensible and necessary, particularly because ELAB involves voluntary participation.
Ms. Carvajal asked about the status of the ELAB website updates. Ms. Phelps responded that she
would provide an update at the upcoming face-to-face meeting because transitions within the
office responsible for the website have caused delays in publishing ELAB's material.
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4. FEBRUARY FACE-TO-FACE MEETING
Ms. Carvajal noted that the agenda for the upcoming face-to-face meeting would be finalized
soon, and she provided an overview of the ELAB PowerPoint slides that will be presented at the
face-to-face meeting. She welcomed comments about the slides from the Board members. Task
Group leaders who have not provided their updates for the slides must send them to her as soon
as possible. The face-to-face meeting will be 2 hours in length. In response to a Board member's
question, Ms. Carvajal explained that the amount of audience participation depends on the topics
that are introduced; some topics create significantly more discussion than others.
Dr. Leibovitz asked whether there was a difference in participation between the summer and
winter meetings. Ms. Phelps said that three times as many participants attend the summer
meeting compared to the winter meeting, but when there are issues important to the
environmental laboratory community, participation in the winter discussions is similar to the
summer meetings.
5. UPDATES ON CURRENT TOPICS
Method Update Rule (MUR)
Ms. Root reported that the MUR release has been delayed and will not be published until the end
of January or beginning of February. EPA personnel may be able to provide additional
information at the upcoming face-to-face meeting.
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Dr. Mahesh Pujari explained that he had spoken to Mr. Adrian Hanley (EPA), who is excited that
the Board is exploring PCB methods. Mr. Hanley, who has applied for a grant to explore Method
1668 via a contract laboratory, would like ELAB to explore a method that is simpler than
Method 1668. Mr. Hanley has suggested that the Board's work on PCBs should wait until more
information about the grant status is known. Dr. Carter asked for clarification that Mr. Hanley
would provide the Board with guidance if the Agency receives the grant. Dr. Pujari confirmed
this.
Dr. Leibovitz thought that an approach could be to explore a method similar to Method 8082.
Dr. Pujari agreed, noting that Mr. Hanley had mentioned a method using quadrupole gas
chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Dr. Carter asked about a single quadrupole select
ion monitoring method for PCBs (Method 680) that had been developed in the 1980s or 1990s
with the advantage of increased selectivity. Dr. Pujari was not familiar with this method, only
Method 8082. He was unsure whether the appropriate sensitivity could be reached using a
quadrupole method. Mr. Michael Flournoy noted that, depending on the specific requirements,
there are limitations to using a single quadrupole method. Some laboratories have performed a
good deal of congener analysis with GC/MS and GC, sometimes using multiple instrumentation
for different congeners. Affordability is another consideration. He has contemplated using a
hybrid method, with the Method 1668 extraction and clean-up procedures, and parlaying this into
a GC method in an attempt to minimize or eliminate interferences as much as possible. Dr. Pujari
thought that this would be a good approach, but EPA's efforts will depend on whether the
Agency receives the grant.
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Mr. Flournoy asked about the specific goal of the Task Group. Dr. Pujari responded that one goal
is to streamline the language in Method 1668, but the ultimate goal, per his discussions with
Mr. Hanley, is to identify a simpler method that can be used universally in laboratories.
Mr. Flournoy asked whether Dr. Pujari has attempted to use a Method 1668 analytical column on
a GC with an electron capture detector; being able to separate the compounds is key. Dr. Pujari
said that the method does not work as well as described in the paper. These specifics can be
discussed by the Task Group.
Dr. Jim Seiber asked whether the main focus was on water or whether other substrates would be
included as well. Dr. Pujari replied that currently water is the main focus.
Methods Harmonization
Dr. Dallas Wait explained that the Task Group met via teleconference 2 weeks prior and
discussed its directive. ELAB was asked to identify three to five methods across EPA offices that
could be harmonized. The Board has provided comments on a variety of methods in recent years,
including some related to harmonization, and the Task Group is reviewing the prior comments.
These methods most likely will not be included in the identified list because the Board already
has recommended them for harmonization. The group currently is compiling the list of potential
methods and will provide the final Board-approved list to the Forum on Environmental
Measurements (FEM).
Dr. Wait referred the ELAB members to the document that he had sent via email just prior to the
teleconference, which included tables outlining potential methods as well as a list of the types of
methods that the Task Group will examine. The Board members agreed with the Task Group's
approach. Dr. Wait stated that the Board members could provide suggestions for methods that
the Task Group should explore. Also, the Task Group currently has five members, and another
member would be appreciated. Ms. Aurora Shields requested that any Board members aware of
existing tables provide them to the Task Group. Dr. Carter thought that TestAmerica, Inc. may
have some method comparisons written up and will explore this possibility.
Interagency Data Quality Task Force (IDQTF)ZData Quality Objectives (DQO) Process
Dr. Leibovitz stated that this Task Group (including Dr. Leibovitz, Dr. Kitty Kong, Ms. Carvajal
and Dr. Wait) had met for the first time the prior day. The Task Group has read the original letter
regarding this topic from ELAB to EPA, dated July 29, 2014. The IDQTF is a group comprising
representatives from EPA and the U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy. The Task Group's
focus is on addressing the concern that laboratories are not included in the DQO process, and the
group plans to request a meeting with the IDQTF to discuss how laboratories can be included in
this process and Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) development. The recommendation is
that the guidance encourage the project managers to take advantage of laboratory technical
expertise when developing QAPPs. Additionally, the Task Group has several questions about the
current IDQTF guidance. The group may need assistance from Ms. Phelps to identify the
appropriate IDQTF contact(s).
Dr. Carter provided an anecdotal story about the reasons laboratories often are not involved in
the process, including unreasonable requests and deadlines. Dr. Leibovitz noted that the Task
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Group had discussed the bidding process; the conclusion was that project managers must
understand the laboratories' expertise and provide enough time for laboratories to be involved
prior to QAPP finalization. Dr. Wait agreed that this is one of many issues contributing to the
problem; some can be controlled, whereas others cannot. Ms. Silky Labie stated that the IDQTF
is one of the few organizations that have considered including laboratories in the planning stages.
During the previous ELAB face-to-face meeting, Ms. Marlene Moore (Advanced Systems, Inc.)
said that the group was more aware of the need for laboratory interaction than most other groups.
Ms. Labie explained that the original ELAB letter was meant to introduce ELAB to the IDQTF.
Ms. Root agreed that the letter was an introduction and a request to work with the IDQTF.
Ms. Root thought that the Agency was considering this issue and asked about FEM involvement.
Ms. Phelps explained that the IDQTF has been in place for some time and was formed to join
federal agencies in a more consistently agreed-on process, especially for handling multi-agency
issues. The IDQTF developed a website devoted to all of its efforts. This has never been an
active FEM issue; the FEM was informed of the IDQTF effort but was not asked to be actively
involved. Ms. Phelps will need to research the most appropriate personnel for the Task Group to
contact. In response to a question from Ms. Phelps and Ms. Root, Ms. Kristen LeBaron noted
that the original letter was sent to Ms. Ellen Treimel (EPA) and Mr. Reggie Cheatham (EPA).
Ms. Phelps explained that Mr. Cheatham is no longer involved with the effort. A Board member
stated that the IDQTF website indicates that Mr. Jim Woolford (EPA) is the current IDQTF
chair. Ms. Phelps knows him well and will contact him.
Dr. Leibovitz wondered whether the letter should be shared at the face-to-face meeting.
Ms. Phelps suggested sharing the letter's content but not the addressees. Ms. Labie noted that
this topic had generated a great deal of discussion at the previous face-to-face meeting, including
many examples of laboratories being excluded from the DQO process.
Qualification of Drinking Water Data
Ms. Carvajal noted that the Task Group met for the first time via teleconference the prior week.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) provides specific instructions
on how to request the submission of qualified data, and the concern is that the DEP does not
actually want qualified data, which places laboratories in a precarious position of performing
unnecessary analyses. Ms. Phelps forwarded additional information that morning that the Task
Group can consider. The next steps are to research and gather more information. Dr. Leibovitz
thought that this was another topic that would generate a significant amount of discussion at the
face-to-face meeting.
In-Line and On-Line Monitoring
Mr. Flournoy has been reviewing the issues related to in-line and on-line monitoring that were
introduced at the past face-to-face meeting and will schedule a Task Group meeting soon. The
current number of Task Group members (seven) surpasses the quorum of the new Board, and one
member must be removed; this applies to any Task Group with seven members.
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6.	NEW TOPICS/ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION
No new topics were introduced.
7.	WRAP-UP/REVIEW ACTION ITEMS
Ms. LeBaron reviewed the action items identified during the meeting, which are included in
Attachment C. Ms. Phelps polled the Board members about their attendance at the face-to-face
meeting.
8.	CLOSING REMARKS/ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 2:27 p.m.
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Attachment A
AGENDA
ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORY ADVISORY BOARD
Monthly Teleconference: 866-299-3188/9195415544#
January 21, 2015; 1:00-3:00 p.m. (EDT)
Approval of December Minutes
Carvajal/Root
Opening Remarks
Phelps
Reorganize Task Groups
Carvajal
Updates on Current Topics
All
Method Update Rule: Root
Poly chlorinated Biphenyls: Pujari
Methods Harmony: Wait
Interagency Data Quality Task Force/Data Quality Objectives Process: Leibovitz
In-Line and On-Line Monitoring: Carvajal
Qualification of Drinking Water Data: Flournoy
New Topics/Issues for Consideration
Wrap-Up/Review Action Items	Carvajal/Root/LeBaron
Closing Remarks/Adjournment	Phelps/Carvajal/Root
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Attachment B
MEMBERSHIP LISTING AND GUESTS
ELAB TELECONFERENCE
January 21, 2015; 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST
Attendance
(Y/N)
Name
Affiliation
Y
Ms. Patsy Root (Chair)
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.
Representing: Laboratory Product Developers
Y
Ms. Patricia (Patty) M.
Carvajal (Vice-Chair)
San Antonio River Authority
Representing: Watershed/Restoration
Y
Ms. Lara P. Phelps, DFO
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Representing: EPA
Y
Dr. Charles (Charlie) Carter
TestAmerica, Inc.
Representing: TestAmerica, Inc.


Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
Y
Dr. Michael (Mike) Delaney
Representing: Massachusetts Water Resources
Authority


Eurofins Environment Testing USA
Y
Mr. Michael Flournoy
Representing: American Council of Independent
Laboratories
Y
Mr. Keith Greenaway
ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board
Representing: The NELAC Institute
Y
Dr. Deyuan (Kitty) Kong
Chevron Energy Technology Company
Representing: Chevron
Y
Ms. Sylvia (Silky) S. Labie
Environmental Laboratory Consulting &
Technology, LLC
Representing: Third-Party Assessors


Rhode Island State Health Laboratories
Y
Dr. Henry Leibovitz
Representing: Association of Public Health
Laboratories
Y
Dr. Mahesh P. Pujari
City of Los Angeles
Representing: National Association of Clean
Water Agencies
Y
Dr. James N. Seiber
University of California, Davis
Representing: Academic and Research
Communities
Y
Ms. Aurora Shields
City of Lawrence, Kansas
Representing: Wastewater Laboratories
Y
Ms. Michelle L. Wade
Kansas Department of Health and the Environment
Representing: Laboratory Accreditation Bodies
Y
Dr. A. Dallas Wait
Gradient Corporation
Representing: Consumer Products Industry
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Attendance
(Y/N)
Name
Affiliation
Y
Ms. Kristen LeBaron (Contractor)
The Scientific Consulting Group, Inc. (SCG)
Y
Ms. Rachel Mclntosh-Kastrinsky
(EPA ASPPH Fellow)
EPA
Y
Mr. Steve Geis (Guest)
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Y
Ms. Penny Shamblin (Guest)
Hunton & Williams, LLP
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Attachment C
ACTION ITEMS
1.	Ms. LeBaron will finalize the December 2014 meeting minutes and send them to
Ms. Phelps via email.
2.	Task Group leaders who have not provided their updates for the face-to-face meeting
PowerPoint slides need to send them to Ms. Carvajal as soon as possible.
3.	Dr. Pujari will continue to follow up with Mr. Hanley about ELAB's potential PCB efforts.
4.	Dr. Carter will determine whether TestAmerica, Inc. has available method comparisons and
provide them to the Methods Harmonization Task Group.
5.	Ms. Phelps will contact Mr. Woolford regarding the IDQTF/DQO process effort.
6.	Ms. Carvajal will add Ms. Labie to the Task Group devoted to the IDQTF/DQO process.
7.	Task Group leaders will ensure that their groups do not contain more than six members.
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Attachment D
I hereby certify that this is the final version of the minutes for the Environmental Laboratory
Advisory Board Meeting held on January 21, 2015.
Signature Chair
Ms. Patsy Root
Print Name Chair
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