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To Seed or Not To Seed - BOD Explained
Dilution, pH Adjustment, Seeding and BOD Calculations
Typically, 75% of the questions fielded by the APG technical staff around DMRQA time center around the Demand sample and BOD analysis. The test for Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is time consuming, confusing, and there is little room for error. Jessica Raney, APG's Quality Control Group Leader, wrote this comprehensive article to explain the details of BOD analysis.

Read the complete article
[http://www.apgqa.com/newsletters/6_2003_demand.asp]

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DMRQA Study 23 is Under Way
All orders have been shipped and we have already started receiving data from contract labs and NPDES Permittees online. If you have not ordered, do not worry because there is still time. You can participate in APG's DMRQA Specific Study that ends on August 29, 2003. You can also participate in the July WP Study that will be shipping next week and ends on August 15, 2003. Please feel free to call your account manager or email customer service at support@apgqa.com if you have any questions.

Order DMRQA Study 23 Samples Online
[https://www.apgqa.com/orders/index.asp?action=dmrqa]

Download a Faxable DMRQA Study 23 Order Form
[http://www.apgqa.com/library/index.asp?fileid=30]

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DMRQA Helpful Hints
APG's industry leading customer service team fields many DMRQA Questions. They have compiled a helpful hints list to guide you through the DMRQA 23. Whether you select APG as your DMRQA Provider or not, APG Customer Service and Technical Chemists are available to help you. Send your questions to support@apgqa.com or give a call at 800.272.4442.

Review the complete list of DMRQA Helpful Hints
[http://www.apgqa.com/newsletters/6_2003_hints.asp]

Download the DMRQA Desk Reference
[http://www.apgqa.com/deskreference]

Locate a DMRQA Coordinator
[http://www.apgqa.com/coordinators.asp]

View the APG / DMRQA Discussion Board
[http://www.apgqa.com/discussion_board/]

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The PT Challenge
A new addition to APG's Drinking Water & Wastewater Programs
You will receive The Laboratory of Excellence® Certificate when your laboratory passes 100% of the analytes that you report for a study. The personalized Laboratory of Excellence® Certificate lists your name, APG's Laboratory of Excellence® Seal and the analytes you passed. This is great recognition for your laboratory when a client, state officer or upper management notices it.

Request more about The Laboratory of Excellence®
[excellence@apgqa.com]

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Two Level Wastewater PT Program
Available in July & October
APG's Two Level Wastewater PT Program is available in July and October. Many of our customers take advantage of the two level PT program because it is another way to verify your analysis. Two levels will provide you verification of your quality assurance system. You will receive one PT Standard in the required NELAC/US EPA range and a second in the historical wastewater ranges. Both levels are evaluated, but only the WP data will be sent to a state agency (upon request only). Therefore, the second level will be a quality assurance indicator in your laboratory. Please call your account manager if you would like to discuss the two level standards. You will receive a free portfolio with a built in calculator if you order July two level products online (please mention promotional code EG63Folio).

Learn more about APG's Two Level PT Program
[http://www.apgqa.com/products/wp.asp]

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Drinking Water PT samples Ship on July 15
Order samples by June 30, 2003 and you will receive one free QC sample when you order Drinking Water (WS) Proficiency Testing Standards (please mention promotional code EG63QC and list the free QC you would like in the order notes). As part of the WS PT Program, you will qualify for the Laboratory of Excellence® Report which is a great tool to confidentially compare your laboratory to laboratories nationwide. The Laboratory of Excellence® Report is critical to identifying quality control issues before they affect the quality of your analysis. This is powerful tool for your organization to see where your laboratory ranks overall and for each analyte.

Order APG Drinking Water Standards
[https://www.apgqa.com/orders/index.asp?action=ws]

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New NELAC Requirements Effective July 2003

The National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference (NELAC) is a voluntary association of state and federal agencies established to develop and implement mutually acceptable performance standards for the operation of environmental laboratories. The following information applies only to those laboratories that have NELAC accreditation or are seeking NELAC accreditation.

NELAC laboratories will be required to report a technology for each analysis starting with studies opening on July 1, 2003. NELAC Appendix A defines a technology as "a specific arrangement of analytical instruments, detection systems, and/or preparation techniques". Ion chromatography (IC) is an example of a technology. A list of NELAC approved methods can be found at www.apgqa.com. Each NELAC approved technology also has a corresponding code that must also be included when reporting NELAC data. The additional technology parameters will appear on your performance report and the report that Proficiency Testing (PT) Providers send to NELAC Accrediting Authorities.

Also starting in July, APG and all other PT Providers will be required to include the following additional information in reports for labs with or seeking NELAC Accreditation:
- The primary accrediting authority
- Any secondary accrediting authorities
- A NELAC point of contact name within the laboratory

Please contact APG's Proficiency Testing Department at ptsupport@apgqa.com or 800.272.4442 if you have any questions concerning the new July 2003 NELAC Requirements.

Locate a NELAC Accrediting Authority
[http://www.apgqa.com/products/nelap.asp]

Review a list of NELAC Approved Technologies
[http://www.apgqa.com/nelactechnologies.asp]

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May Order Satisfaction Survey Prize Winner
Congratulations to Mike Elling our May Customer Satisfaction Survey Winner! Mike will receive a gift certificate to Amazon.com. Your feedback is important to APG. If you would like take part in our June Customer Satisfaction Survey, go to www.APGQA.com and click on the Customer Satisfaction Survey in the Quick Tools box on the right hand side of the page.

Take the order satisfaction survey and register to win*
[http://www.apgqa.com/order_survey]
*Elite Membership Required. Void where prohibited.

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