In general, having the answers to the following questions will speed the process of confirming pricing, sample minimum requirements, and preservation requirements. If BV staff could provide this information when reaching out to us for a given project, that would be greatly appreciated.
- Describe the types of samples to be collected as specifically as possible (e.g., surface water, ground water, drinking water, wastewater from a Cu mining operation, municipal wastewater, etc).
- How many samples will be collected? Will they be sent in a single shipment or over a specific period of time?
- Are any of the samples known to contain hazardous constituents (e.g. elemental Hg, PCBs, hydrocarbons, or high levels of metals)?
- What are the expected concentrations of the elements that need to be speciated?
- Any MDL/MRL requirements?
- Any accreditations required?
- Any TAT or deliverables requirements (e.g., report levels, specific EDD formats, etc)?
Note also that there are various means of preserving samples appropriately for these analyses, so we request that BV staff reach out to us to discuss a project beforehand to ensure the samples are collected appropriately. Failure to do so may result in unrepresentative/qualified data. If I understand correctly, the specific samples in question did arrive to the lab out of recommended temperature range, may not have been filtered or preserved, and may not be in the correct containers.
The lab can provide sampling containers with preservative though we request advance notice before any sampling containers may be required to ensure our staff have sufficient time to prepare/ship them; shipping charges may apply for the containers depending on where they are being sent and how rapidly they are needed.
Email to Geoff Leadbeater