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EPA announces plans for agencywide PBMS On Oct. 6 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its plan to implement, to the "extent feasible", an agencywide performance-based measurement system (PBMS) by September 1998. (Fed. Regist. 1997,62, 52098-100). ThT much-anticipated notice was signed by Carol Browner, EPA Administrator. "Ifs been a long, long ttme coming,, "ays Llewellyn Williams with EPA's Offfce of Research and Development, who wrote hii first article on PBMS in 1984. .Fortunately there were enough people who belleved in a good idea to stay with ii tor a long time and champion it until it happened." Proponents for PBMS say that the approach gives analysts more flexibility in developing new analytical methods and the opportunity to apply the latest in instrumental technology, while still meeting the regulatory needs of EPA. Traditionally, EPA has required that specific methods be followed step-by-step for compliance purposes to ensure that environmental monitoring data are consistent and accurate. It was difficult for analysts to use alternative methods, because complicated EPA-approval procedures were required. EPA's Environmental Monitoring Management Council (EMMC) has long recognized the lack of coordination and uniformity among the methods issued by various program offices throughout EPA {Anal. Chem. .996,68,733 A). In the early 1990s, attempts were made to consolidate existing methods among the offices. Some methods were quickly integrated, but, for the most part, efforts dragged on at a slow pace. Part of the problem was differences in the way the various offices defined quality control (QC) standards. By implementing a PBMS approach, more consistency in QC standards is expected among the various offices, because PBMS puts less emphasis on analytical methods and more on what are referred to as data quality objectives (DQOs). According to Williams, "They are actually more measurement quality objectives." DQOs define requirements for precision, bias, sensitivity, and range of conditions over which satisfactory data can be obtained to meet the specific measurement needs of a study, project, or program. Another driving force behind EPA's 716 A
Young Fluorescence Investigator Award The Biological Fluorescence Subgroup of the Biophysical Society and SPEX Industries, a division of Instruments S A, are requesting nominations for the Young Fluorescence Investigator Award. The decision to implement PBMS is the potenaward is given to a pretenure faculty memtially lower cost associated with alternative ber for novel applications of fluorescence methods of analysis. "If we have a need for spectroscopy to biology and biophysics. a particular measurement, and we can do The awardee receives a cash prize of that with an alternative method at one tenth $1000 and presents a lecture on his or her or perhaps one hundredth of the cost, we research at the Annual Biophysical Socishould have the opportunity to explore that. ety Meeting, to be held next year in late It's been very difficult to do that in the February in Kansas City, MO. Nominating past," says Willlams. documents should consist of a letter exMany unanswered questions remain plaining the significance of the candidate's regarding how the various offices within work, a CV, reprints or preprints that ex~ EPA will implement a PBMS approach. "I emplify the candidate's contributions and think it is going to be much easier for three letters of suDDort Nominations some of the programs to adopt it than for should be addressed to Maurice Eftink others," says Williams. Several programs Dept ofChemistrv University of Missiswithin EPA have already begun the prosippi Coulter Hall University MS 38677 cess. According to Williams, "The Office The nomination deadline is Dec 31 1997 of Solid Waste feels that they have been 'most of the way there' in die way they have implemented their program in the Dimick Award past, so they feel it is a very modest Nominations are requested for the 1999 change really more a question of the Keene P. Dimick Award in Chromatograappropriate documentation." phy, sponsored by the Society for AnalytiThe Office of Water has adopted a cal Chemists of Pittsburgh, which honors "streamlining" approach to the method ap- accomplishments in GC and supercritical proval process that differs from PBMS in fluid chromatography. The award consists the manner in which it approves new meth- of a $5000 cash prize, presented at a symods. Modified compliance methods can be posium at the Pittsburgh Conference. Letused without notifying EPA provided certers of nomination, including a resume, tain performance criteria are met. New should be sent to Manny Miller, Keene P. methods, however, will still require formal Dimick Award Committee, Society for review. "If this is their full implementation Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, 300 of PBMS, then in my mind it falls far short Penn Center Blvd., Suite 332, Pittsburgh, of the goals," comments Williams. "If their PA 15235-5503. The deadline is March 30 streamlining represents just an initial phase 1998. of a longer-term implementation strategy tiien I'm not uncomfortable with it." Summer research Whether testing labs will embrace PBMS is also uncertain. Implementation of opportunities a PBMS approach will undoubtedly require The National Science Foundation Surface laboratories to keep more detailed records. and Analytical Chemistry Program is once "My hope is that if the documentation is again sponsoring two "Macro-ROA" (Reused properly it will not necessarily be search Opportunity Award) programs to more burdensome, but what it will provide provide collaborative summer research is far more information on the quality of data opportunities for faculty teaching analytithat is generated for or by the Agency than cal chemistry at non-Ph.D.-granting colwe've ever had in the past," "ays Williams. "I leges and universities. These longthink the train is on the right track, and ifs standing programs at the University of moving out now. I think eventually those Tennessee-Knoxville and the University who aren't on the train are going to be left at of Kansas-Lawrence aim to develop a the station. Ifs going to be pretty evident" strong regional infrastructure for sharing Britt Erickson ideas among analytical chemistry faculty.
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, December 1, 1997
