Abstract:
As an analytical chemist based in academia, I am cautious
about air monitoring results. Every analysis has some degree
of uncertainty, both with respect to identification of the
compounds present, as well as their concentrations. The reality
is that even certified reference materials (such as those supplied
by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST)
which have been analysed rigorously by many laboratories
using state-of-the-art equipment, require updating of their
certificates of analysis (“accurate” concentrations) over time
as technology progresses, resulting in lowered detection
limits or improved precision. Many professionals working in
the environmental sciences, however, take analytical results
generated for them or by them, as absolute. Treating chemical
analyses as a “black box” can lead to incorrect conclusions,
unsuitable mitigation measures or management options…and
ultimately, the environment which we are trying to protect may
suffer.
