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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency |
Office of Water
4303 |
EPA-821-F-98-001
January 1998 |
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Available Cyanide by Flow Injection/Ligand Exchange
(Method OIA-1677)
Summary
EPA is proposing in the Federal Register a method that will
improve EPA's capability to accurately measure available cyanide
in wastewater through use of a ligand exchange/flow injection/amperometric
technique. This method is being proposed for approval for use in
wastewater at 40 CFR part 136.
Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes laboratory
analytical methods that are used by industrial and municipal facilities
in analyzing the chemical and biological components of wastewater,
drinking water, and sediment. This type of environmental sampling
is required by EPA regulations under the authority of the Clean
Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Method OIA-1677 was developed by ALPKEM, a Division of OI Analytical,
in cooperation with the University of Nevada Reno Mackay School
of Mines, as a way to measure available cyanide without the interference
problems of the currently approved available cyanide methods.
EPA is proposing Method OIA-1677 as another testing procedure
for compliance monitoring under the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System; ambient water quality monitoring; development
of effluent limitations guidelines; and general laboratory use.
This rulemaking does not propose to repeal any of the currently
approved methods that test for available cyanide. Each permitting
authority must decide which method is appropriate for its needs.
This proposal would amend the Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures
for the Analysis of Pollutants under section 304(h) of the Clean
Water Act to augment currently approved available cyanide test procedures
with EPA Method OIA-1677: Available Cyanide by Flow Injection with
Ligand Exchange.
| Benefits of Method OIA-1677
Elimination of potential interferences
Lower detection limit
Better accuracy and precision
Improved laboratory safety
Lower costs of environmental measurements through a rapid
automated process
Reduction of hazardous chemical use and associated waste
generation
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The Method
Method OIA-1677 provides another procedure for available cyanide.
Samples are treated with a ligand exchange solution to liberate
available cyanide which is then introduced into an automated flow-injection
analysis system for measurement of the liberated cyanides.
Method OIA-1677 contains QC acceptance criteria for all standardized
QC tests. Compliance with these criteria will allow the data user
to evaluate the quality of the results. This requirement increases
the reliability of results and provides a means to monitor analytical
performance, thereby providing a basis for sound, defensible data.
Additional Information and Copies
For additional information concerning this action, contact Dr.
Maria Gomez-Taylor at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Office of Water, Engineering and Analysis Division (4303), 401 M
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.; at 202/260-1639; or at e-mail address:
[email protected].
The Federal Register notice contains instructions on how to obtain
additional information and how to review the public record for this
rulemaking. You also may obtain copies of Method OIA-1677 through
the U.S. EPA National Center for Environmental Publications and
Information (NCEPI), 11029 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242.
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