Basics of Environmental Sampling and Analysis - Fundamentals of Environmental Sampling and Analysis - page 35

2.4 ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
REGULATIONS

Environmental laws and regulations are the driving forces behind almost all of the
environmental sampling and analytical work (academic research excluded). This
statement, perhaps, applies to all sampling and analysis for regulatory compliance in
industries, for regulatory enforcement by federal, state, and local environmental
agencies, and for services performed by third parties such as environmental
consulting firms and commercial labs. A statement by Smith (1997) well reflects this
point from an industry perspective: ''The only reason that the plant manager takes a
sample is because he is directed to do so by a federal or state government regulation.
The environmental exists solely because it services government

requirements for monitoring, remediation and pollution prevention. Persons in the
industry who refuse to recognize this fundamental motivating force and fail to keep
themselves informed of changes in the regulations

industry ...

will eventually run into the
reality of what it means to be ignorant of government directives.''
It is, therefore, important for these entities to be well informed of the current
regulations - perhaps keep a copy of Title 40 ''Protection of Environment'' of the Code
of Federal Regulations (40 CFR). Recent years' CFR can be retrieved electronically
from the U.S. Government Printing Office's Web site (http://www.gpoacess.gov/cfr).
Unfortunately, the specific requirements for sampling, analysis, and monitoring are
dispersively distributed in the entire 40 CFR from Part 1 to Part 1517, which makes it
very inefficient, if not impossible, for general use. The contents given below
summarize the framework of these regulations relevant to sampling and analysis.

...

2.4.1 Major Regulations Administrated
by the U.S. EPA

Five major environmental regulations are highlighted in Table 2.7 with a focus on
the relevancy to sampling and analysis. Although the U.S. EPA administrates all
these regulations, in many cases, an environmental agency of a state has its own
regulatory counterparts and should be consulted as well.

2.4.2 Other Important Environmental Regulations

There are several other environmental regulations governing the protocols of
sampling and analysis that one may encounter occasionally. These include but are
not limited to the following:

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)