Sufficient Documentation to Reconstruct the Results is a Key Component of Reliable DataEnsuring Reliable Data
Oral Presentation
Prepared by R. Wyeth
TNI, 111 liberty ln west seneca ny, west seneca, ny, 14224, United States
Contact Information: [email protected]; 17162541544
ABSTRACT
Laboratory data is frequently used in the courts to prove or disprove an environmental concern, such as a wastewater discharge about regulated limits, contamination of groundwater from a hazardous waste facility, or an air emission from an industrial facility. Federal Rule 901, relating to evidence indicates the evidence must be sufficient to support a finding that the “item is what the proponent claims it is.” This rule has led to laboratories having to maintain documentation sufficient to reconstruct the result by another expert. While this documentation obviously includes all the raw data such as instrument outputs, calculations, chain-of-custody records, date of analysis, analyst, etc., it must also include meta data associated with the results such as the procedure used at the time of the analysis. This presentation will describe all of the documentation required to ensure the results can be accepted by the courts.
