Water utility groups such as the American Water Works Association call this bill positive, but several environmental groups have complained that the relaxed monitoring requirements would endanger public health. Most analysts expect that a bill such as S.1316 will hurt commercial laboratories.
Representative Bill Baker (R-CA) plans to introduce legislation that will force EPA to adopt performance - based analytical methods.
Performance-based methods Congressman Bill Baker (R-CA) hopes Technologies Advisory Committee, which reports to the EPA administrator, is also this month to introduce a bill that would "accelerate the move toward performance- established under the bill. However, Congress maintains a stronghold by appointbased analytical methods by establishing target dates." This bill would give environ- ing six industry representatives, which are two-thirds of the membership of the advimental testing laboratories flexibility in choosing methods for analysis. Currently, sory committee. A third party or nonprofit group would have the task of accreditatEPA details the analytical methods for ing the performance standards. many of the analytes covered by environmental legislation. The issue of performance-based versus Testing to private laboratories prescriptive methods has long been deThe International Association of Environbated within the environmental testing mental Testing Laboratories (IAETL) is community and EPA. Some individuals promoting a bill that would require much fear that data linked to performanceof the environmental testing analysis now based methods may be less rigorously de- being performed to go exclusively to fined and more open to legal challenge "nongovernment" laboratories. The prothan numbers based on EPA-prescribed posed legislation was introduced in the methods. However, others see EPA's cur- House of Representatives last year by rent system of approved methods as Congressman William Lipinski (D-IL) but terribly out of date and an impediment to never voted on. That bill, HR 2154, reintroducing potentially better and cheaper quired all testing in support of "monitortechnologies. ing, assessment, or compliance decision According to Chris Carter, Baker's sci- making" to be performed in nongovernment labs. In addition, states, local govence legislative aide, the bill was initiated by high-tech companies in Baker's con- ernments, and universities would be barred from running environmental tests gressional district, east of San Francisco. Sources tell Analytical Chemistry that the funded by federal funds. Exceptions were Varian instrument company played a ma- made for situations in which private laboratories could not handle the testing protojor role in launching the bill and that cols or analyze the samples in time. some of the restructuring of the legislation is to meet objections from other inLipinski's office said that the bill was ofstrument companies. The legislation has fered to "begin discussion" and was not rebeen written with an emphasis on promot- viewed by EPA. Staffers said that the coning new analytical technologies a stratgressman would not reintroduce the bill, egy that, said Carter, would send the bill to but they did expect another representative the House Science committee which into produce similar legislation. cludes Baker. According to Linda Christenson, executive director of IAETL, the legislation has Carter also said that Baker was trying been revised to address criticisms over to gain bipartisan support for the bill and the wide scope of the bill and will be reinhoped to line up backing from the powerful California delegation. The bill could be troduced in Congress this year. She told introduced in the Senate by either of Cali- Analytical Chemistry that IAETL is working with Sen. Robert Dole (R-KS) to get fornia's senators, Barbara Boxer or the bill introduced into the Senate. At Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats. In the draft bill Analytical Chemistry ob- press time, Christenson was waiting for an Office of Management and Budget analytained in December, the legislation called sis, which IAETL expects will show a sigfor EPA to come up with a plan with innificant savings for taxpayers. dustry to implement performance-based methods and submit the results to ConMost analysts say that the bill is aimed gress within six months after the enactprimarily at national laboratories that anament. An Environmental Monitoring lyze samples in support of cleanup pro-
grams established by the Departments of Energy and Defense. In addition, several state-run laboratories could be affected.
Environmental lab accreditation advances Participants in the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) are moving quickly toward their goal of establishing uniform standards and procedures for accrediting U.S. environmental laboratories. At an interim meeting in December to work on various issues related to accreditation, NELAC leaders announced that the group was adding ad hoc committees to address issues on field methods and good laboratory practices (GLP) In addition, leaders said that the proposed accreditation standards are being shaped to mesh with ISO 25 guidelines, a key to international acceptance of U.S. environmental laboratory data. "We don't think that any of our supplements [to ISO guidelines] will interfere with international acceptance of the [NELAC] standards," Robert Stephens, NELAC chair, told Analytical Chemistry. NELAC is a voluntary effort at streamlining the U.S. system of laboratory accreditations and standards. If successful, it would allow commercial laboratories to operate nationwide instead of seeking accreditation state by state. NELAC standards would still need to conform to U.S. environmental legislation as well as laws, such as the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, that overlap with food and health issues. Many of the accreditation activities would be handled by the states. For example, a New York state agency or state-
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, February 1, 1996 8 3 A
News
approved third party would accredit laboratories operating in that state. With reciprocity, that same laboratory could then offer those credentials toward accreditation in all other states participating in NELAC. (Individual states can mandate additional requirements as needed.) Groundwork for the effort began in 1990 and led to the conference being formally voted into existence last February. Eleven committees are working on such matters as a revised constitution for NELAC, accreditation standards, and oversight processes as well details such as how to disseminate and implement the standards. Under the NELAC constitution, proposals are adopted by a vote limited to designated federal and state representatives. However, the federal government recently approved the formation of an Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board to provide NELAC with advice from the private sector and local governments Private sector representatives also sit on NELAC committees The goal of the December meeting, said Stephens, was to come substantially closer to completing many of the proposed standards. The next full meeting, at which NELAC members can vote on standards, is tentatively scheduled for July of this year in Washington, DC. Before then, a number of difficult issues, ranging from how much training should be required for analysts to the frequency of on-site evaluations, must be resolved. Most committees are holding regular conference calls, and about 100 people are working on the standards. One major concern for NELAC has been the role of laboratories operating under GLP. At last February's meeting, some GLP laboratories argued that they should be excluded from the NELAC process. GLP already has international recognition under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a body that represents most developed countries. GLP representatives were worried that NELAC could disrupt that recognition. Both Trovato and Stephens said that the GLP community was now moving toward acceptance of the NELAC process. "It is going to take time to resolve GLP issues" Stephens admitted "We will change NELAC to suit their purposes " added Ramona Trovato NELAC director Stephens also said that the OECD and the ISO were working on harmonizing GLP standards which should further erode ooposition by GLP laboratories to NELAC 84 A
NELAC continues to receive strong support from EPA and will be formally integrated into the agency's Office of Research and Development in October, pointed out Trovato. She added that EPA plans to commit three staff members to NELAC. BUSINESS
Name change Fisons Applied Sensor Technology has changed its name to Affinity Sensors. According to David Fortune, managing director of the Cambridge, U.K. based company, the name change was necessary following the reorganization of Fisons Instruments into separate business units and "fits neatly with the intended sale [of Fisons] to Thermo Instruments." The acquisition of Fisons Instruments by Thermo Instrument Systems was announced in 1995. However at press time the sale was still waiting on approval in the U.K. and by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which were concerned about the sale's effect on competition especially in the mass spectrometry market Thermo Instruments hopes to finalize the deal by the end of March according to company head Arvin Smith
Web sites
Perkin Elmer's CEO comments on analytical business In the next two to three years, Perkin Elmer's analytical business will need to eliminate $50 to 100 miillon in cosss while eimultaneously increasing its focus on customer needs and innovative technologies, company head Tony L White told shareholders in October. As Perkin Elmer realigns its analytical and life science businesses, different objectives will be set for each business, said White. Altiiough the analytical instruments group is operating in mature markets with limited opportunities for growth, White believes that the business should be run for higher levels of profitability and cash flow. If this approach is successful, the restructured analytical instruments business would be more valuable to the shareholders. Stephen Jaeger, chief financial officer, predicted that the changes would help Perkin Elmer's operating income grow by 10% for fiscal 1996 compared with an 8.5% increase for fiscal 1995. The life sciences business on the other hand is participating in very high growth markets said White and should use capital liberally to finance its growth whether for R&D capacity or acquisitions "The worst thing we could do [is to] fail to think boldly enough or be timid in any way "
Analytical Chemistry yews & &eatures, February 1, 1,96
Royal Society of Chemistry—http:// chemistry.rsc.org/rsc/; includes information about membership, products, scientific activities and conferences, services, and employment services and career advice. Waters—http://www.waters.com/; includes an online catalog; company profile; worldwide contacts; news about products, services, and seminars; and basic information on HPLC. A2LA—http://users.aol.com/a21a/ a21a.htm; includes lists of accredited labs, applications, past newsletters, and training schedule. Kinetic Systems—http://www.kscorp.com; includes new products, tips, company and industry information, and calendar. National Institute of Standards and Technology—http://www.nist.gov; includes news and general information; information on the Advanced Technology Program, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, NIST Laboratory Programs, the quality program, the Baldridge Award, and measurement services; NIST campus information; and links to special interest sites. Nicolet—http://www.nicoletcom./; includes product information and calendar of seminars, symposia, training classes, and trade shows.
