New Water Sample Matrices
May 27, 2014
As part of our United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) 17025:2005 accreditation, ALS Environmental are progressing with sample matrix level accreditation. We first brought this to your attention in a news story in April 2014. The next phase of this development will take place on Monday 2nd June with the addition of five new water matrices for customers to choose from when submitting samples to the laboratory. The new matrices are:
- Drinking Water
- Land Leachate
- Prepared Leachate
- Treated Sewage
- Saline Waters
Four of the new matrices are simply updates in nomenclature to ensure that ALS are in line with the soon to be issued UKAS guidance on matrix types. We will be automatically transferring the old names to the new ones on Monday 2nd June, these matrices are:
| Old Matrix Nomenclature | Updated Matrix Nomenclature |
| Potable Water | Drinking Water |
| Leachate from Soil | Prepared Leachate |
| Leachate from Landfill | Land Leachate |
| River Water | Surface Water |
| Saline | Saline Water |
| Treated Sewage Effluent | Treated Sewage |
The changes, that are being implemented will over time see all UK environmental testing laboratories utilising the same water sample matrix types. Once the five new matrix types go live at ALS we will begin the process of monitoring the use of the soon to be obsolete matrix types to ensure customers are aware of the implications of continuing to use these sample matrices:
| Old Matrix | New Matrix Option A | New Matrix Option B | New Matrix Option C | New Matrix Option D |
| Raw Waters | Surface Water | Recreational Water | Process Water | Ground Water |
| Cooling Tower Water | Process Water | |||
| Clean Water | Process Water | Recreational Water | Surface Water | Ground Water |
| River Water | Surface Water |
Ground Water |
||
| Contaminated Land Water | Surface Water | Ground Water |
In order to make the transition of matrix types a smooth process ALS will, for a short time operate with both the new matrix types and the old matrix types. This will ensure that customers continue to receive UKAS and MCERTS accredited analytical data. This will allow ALS the time to advise customers of the appropriate matrix definition to use and the implication of not doing this on the accreditation status of their results.
Due to the impact that sample matrix level accreditation may have on customers we will be looking to invite customers to our laboratories to explain further the changes that are taking place. ALS will open bookings for these events shortly and inform you directly of the dates, times and locations.
The new matrix types will be available for you to utilise from Monday the 2nd June 2014 and our customer service team will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have on any changes to your projects or quotations. To discuss these changes with our customer service team please call us on 02476 42 12 13 or e-mail your queries and one of the team will respond in due course.
