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Newsletter: January 2000

This is a brief update regarding the activities and progress for the
Analytical Laboratory Technical Committee (ALTC) of the American Society for
Quality Energy and Environmental Division. It is sent to those who want to
remain informed about, and/or participate in, the activities of the ALTC.
Please send me an e-mail:

If you want to actively participate in one of the topical areas.
If you would like your colleagues to be added to the distribution list.
If you no longer want to be on the e-mailing list.

ALTC Website: The Analytical Laboratories Technical Committee's Web site is
available for viewing, at http://www.mentorprises.com/altc.  Latest news
about the Committee's membership and activities is posted there, with
continuing updates about special interest areas, upcoming conferences, notes
from recent conferences, papers, presentations, and links to related
interest areas. Thanks to the staff at Synectics http://www.synectics.net  for their assistance in webpage design, and website hosting.

Conferences 1: The ALTC will sponsor a session at the ASQ-EED's MSI-2000
"ISO Standards" conference, February 14-16, 2000 in Las Vegas, NV. Ray
Frederici (Severn Trent Labs) and Daren Valentine (A2LA) will describe the
changes from the old ISO 25 to the new ISO 17025, and the practical aspects
and impacts on the labs and their assessments. Remember, NELAC uses ISO 25
as a foundation for its policies and procedures, and plans to adopt ISO
17025 after passage; many labs will be affected.

Conferences 2: The ALTC will sponsor two sessions at the ASQ-EED's
conference August 27-30, 2000 in Tucson, AZ. The theme of the conference
will be "Using Quality, Environmental, Health, and Safety to Reduce
Organizational Costs in the 21st Century." Our first session will address
QEHS practices, and how they impact lab costs. The second session is open,
with possible themes of "green chemistry" (changing analytical methods and
lab practices to reduce environmental impact) and Good Laboratory Practice
Standardization (combining the quality requirements of USEPA's TSCA and
FIFRA programs). If you would like to present a paper at either session,
contact paul.mills@mentorprises.com .

Conferences 3: Dr. Larry Keith, co-chair of the EPA/ACS Waste Testing and
Quality Assurance Conference, WTQA 2000, announces a CALL FOR PAPERS:

August 5 - 10, 2000 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, VA,
the theme for WTQA 2000 is "Environmental Sampling and Analysis in the 21st
Century." Please submit an abstract by March 1, 2000 using the Internet
abstract form at http://www.wpi.org/wtqa . If you can't submit using the
Internet then mail or fax your abstract to
Ms. Eileen O'Toole, WPI, 2000 Kraft Drive, Suite 2100, Blacksburg, VA 24060
(Phone: 540-557-6007; Fax: 240-557-6085; Email:
eileen_otoole@wpi.org). 

The conference brings together regulators, analysts, engineers and managers
from the Federal and State regulatory agencies, the regulated community and
from the laboratory and engineering support communities in an informal
setting on the edge of our nation's capitol.

The latest changes in regulatory policy, sampling techniques, and new
methods will be presented and discussed. Formats include panel discussions,
oral and poster presentations, and short courses. Topics include laboratory
accreditation, compliance monitoring, facility compliance auditing,
performance evaluation, method verification, laboratory and facility
liability issues, the new proficiency testing program, in addition to the
latest improvements in field and laboratory technologies and methods.
Special issue sessions will focus on:

*New Technologies--Session 1, "Where is Technology Going in 2005?" The
emphasis is on working smarter by taking advantage of new instruments,
techniques, and sensors to get faster, cheaper, and better data.

*New Technologies--Session 2, "Business Ramifications." How will new
technologies affect the way business is conducted in the next 5 to 10 years?

*Lab Accreditation Under NELAC--What are the changes in operations wrought
by reciprocal accreditation, the new proficiency testing program, customer
perception, and scientific misconduct?

*Special Session--"QA Then, Now, and Next." Historical perspectives of past
and present QA protocols with a focus on future changes being manifested by
PBMS.



PBMS Articles: The "PBMS Spotlight" column in the January/February
Environmental Testing and Analysis magazine summarizes the PBMS sessions
from the July, 1999 Waste Testing and Quality Assurance symposium. A longer
version is available at the Mentorprises Corporation website, at
http://www.mentorprises.com/wtqa_99.htm . (Be patient, it is a large file
and downloading takes time!) Dr. Carl Kircher, one of your ALTC members,
is actively involved as a Board Member of NELAC, and welcomes your input on
lab accreditation and PBMS topics. You can get the latest news at the NELAC
Website, http://www.epa.gov/ttn/nelac . The constitution, bylaws, standards,
Board members, meeting summaries, proposed revisions, and archives are at
the site.

If you have news items of interest that you think will benefit ALTC readers,
please send them to me. These could include reports from other conferences
or professional society meetings, lab industry changes, quality success
stories, lessons learned, and helpful tips. I'll edit and issue monthly
newsletters on these topics, and report our activities and progress.

Several volunteers have offered to lead and help with subcommittees (see
also the ALTC Website for leaders in special interest areas). Contact them
(and copy me) to join us:
PBMS and NELAC: Dr. Carl C. Kircher, Florida Dept. of Health, e-mail to:
carl_kircher@doh.state.fl.us  Others interested in this topic include
Marlene Moore, mmoore@advancedsys.com; Ruth Chang, rchang@dtsc.ca.gov ; and
Bart Simmons, bsimmons@dtsc.ca.gov 
Ethics: Timothy L. Dawson, USEPA Region VI, e-mail to:
dawson.timothy@epamail.epa.gov Others interested in this topic include Ann
Rosecrance, annrosecrance@corelabcorp.com; Bernard Godek, bjgodek@uxb.com;
and Jack Farrell, aex@ix.netcom.com. 
Good Automated Laboratory Practices: Lara Autry,
autry.lara@epamail.epa.gov. 

Thanks for your time, interest, and efforts.

Paul Mills, Chairman, ALTC
Contact me at E-Mail: paul.mills@mentorprises.com 
Phone/Fax: (703)-723-5983