Michael Desmarais
Biotic Ligand Model

Biotic Ligand Model

The Biotic Ligand Model (BLM) takes into account many environmental conditions in order to determine if a metal exists in a form or concentration that is toxic to aquatic life.  Toxicity is usually based upon the dosage of whatever it is that we are looking at.  At...

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TCLP or SPLP on a Solid Sample

TCLP or SPLP on a Solid Sample

Why is this TCLP/SPLP on a solid sample a common question? The main reason is that people don’t understand the difference between characterization and hazardous determination.  The EPA developed the TCLP Program to determine when certain materials have to go to a...

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Understanding Control Charts

Understanding Control Charts

What are control charts? Control charts are a visual depiction of ongoing data points that various statistics are applied to.  The EPA used to require a laboratory to adjust its spike acceptance recovery percentage based upon how spikes were recovered over time...

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Significant Figures Use by Laboratories

Significant Figures Use by Laboratories

What determines the amount of numbers you see on your report? Each test that we do has a level of sensitivity associated with it.  Tests that you can do by visual inspection have the lowest sensitivity and are usually reported in whole numbers in a range of say 1 to...

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