Environmental monitoring programs vs Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) programs: differences and similarities.
Environmental monitoring and Good Laboratory Practice programs are similar when looked at empirically. Both address quality issues, human or environmental safety, and have set procedures to assure the concomitant results. However, when compared at the operational level, they can be best described as very different. Good Laboratory Practice programs deal basically with two governmental agencies and their divisions- the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration. These are administered from the federal level involving no state resources. These programs are objective driven with the procedures being defined in study plans, protocols, and standard operating procedures. The environmental monitoring testing programs deal with a profusion of federal legislation including CERCLA (also known as CLP), RCRA, CWA, CAA, SDWA, NPDES and others. These acts require analysis by specific procedures mandated by the statutes. States operate many of these programs and have been given the authority by the federal government. Many of the states require separate certifications to conduct these analyses. Environmental monitoring testing laboratories often must acquire multiple state certifications to participate in multiple state programs. This is not cost effective and often leads to conflicting requirements. Much of the direction for having a national certification program comes from problems associated with these state-operated programs.
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D000068:Accreditation / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000592:standards*; D005161:Facility Regulation and Control; D005249:Fees and Charges; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D008330:Management Audit; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration