Environmental Sampling Techniques - Fundamentals of Environmental Sampling and Analysis - page 69

Chapter 4

Environmental Sampling
Techniques

4.1 GENERAL GUIDELINES OF ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

4.2 TECHNIQUES FOR SAMPLING VARIOUS MEDIA: PRACTICAL
APPROACHES AND TIPS
REFERENCES

QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

From Chapter 3 we learned the fundamentals of sampling design including issues
regarding when and where to take samples and how many samples need to be taken.
Materials covered in Chapter 4 will include how much sample should be collected,
how long the sample can be preserved prior to analysis, what sampling tools and
containers should be used, and how to collect representative samples for various
analytes and matrices. The purpose of this chapter is to give readers an overview on
the basics of environmental sampling techniques employed in the field. These
contents are not intended to substitute for the detailed guidelines available from
many governmental and nongovernmental agencies, but should help beginners
understand the principles and get started from these generally exhaustive guidelines.
A good knowledge of these sampling principles should also help you develop site
and project-specific sampling and analysis plans and eliminate some of the common
problems encountered during sampling.

4.1 GENERAL GUIDELINES OF ENVIRONMENTAL
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

We limit our discussions in this section to some guidelines common to all environmental
sampling, including sequence of sampling matrices and analytes, sample amount,
sample preservation and storage, and selection of sample containers and equipments.