Contamination Monitoring Screening vs Targeted Analysis

1 INTRODUCTION

Current analytical methods used in the water industry for compliance monitoring are not well suited to detection of water contamination during emergencies. This applies to early warning of harmful chemical releases as well as the presence of biological contamination (which can take days rather than hours or minutes to provide a definitive result). A case is therefore made for improved rapid methods of analysis to meet this important requirement. Consideration is given to the relative merits of targeted analysis versus screening techniques, with examples provided. One approach to targeted analysis of organic contaminants is to optimise the performance of chromatographic separation and identification techniques. An alternative is to screen using a spectroscopic method such as UV absorption or Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), both of which involve minimal sample handling and have potential for at site use. Other potentially useful techniques for rapid screening for chemical and microbiological contaminants are also listed, some of which are described in greater detail in subsequent chapters. In conclusion, it is argued that targeted and screening techniques both have a role to play in contamination monitoring; using targeted analysis with optimised methodology for identification, combined with screening techniques in order to prioritise suspect samples for targeted analysis.

It may at times be appropriate to operate both of these methods in parallel to meet tight deadlines involved in providing timely information to decision-makers. Selecting the required methodology and analytical capabilities will depend on...