Water Resources--Office of Water Quality
This document is also available in pdf format:
The materials used to construct equipment can directly affect sample chemistry (table 2-1). Equipment designed for water-quality work commonly is constructed of a combination of materials, the most inert being used for components that will contact the sample. Nonsample-wetted components also can be a source of sample contamination, and field personnel must use techniques to minimize potential contamination, implement quality-assurance procedures, and quantify potential effects by using quality-control sample analysis.
When planning equipment use, consider having several sets of precleaned equipment available. A clean set of equipment for each sampling site prevents cross contamination between sites, eliminates the need for time-consuming equipment cleaning in the field, and serves as backup should equipment break or become greatly contaminated.
|The softer or more flexible forms of any plastic or metal are more reactive than the rigid forms.|
|The more polished the surface, the less reactive the material tends to be.|
Maintainer: Office of Water Quality
Webversion by: Genevieve Comfort
Last Modified: Wednesday, 02-Jan-2013 18:26:04 EST