1.3 Reviewing and Evaluating Environmental Data
Certain questions should be considered when reviewing environmental data.
Here are some typical questions that health assessors consider.
Were environmental samples collected at the contaminant sources as well
as at places where people might come in contact with the chemical?
Do samples represent typical site conditions or areas of high chemical
concentrations (so-called hot spots)?
Were enough samples taken from an area to show how much of a chemical
is there or, if the area has been cleaned up, whether the chemical was
If the chemical is known to be present naturally in the area, such as
the minerals calcium or arsenic, was sampling sufficient to determine
whether levels are unusually high?
Health assessors also use reports that have information on quality
assurance and quality control.
Quality assurance and quality control reports provide information about
the samples collected and laboratory procedures. These reports help health
assessors decide how the data should be used.