Guide to Sampling Air, Water, Soil, and Vegetation for Chemical Analysis

This sampling guide was developed by the Environmental Hazards Assessment
Program (EHAP), Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA). It is intended to serve as an introductory guide to the collection of environmental samples for pesticide residue analysis. We suggest that this guide be supplemented with formal training courses in environmental monitoring. Other objectives, such as monitoring for compliance with California pesticide use regulations, may require sampling methods not included in this booklet.

The materials and techniques described in this booklet are given so that the user may be better equipped to collect high integrity environmental samples for chemical analysis of pesticide residue. Sampling methods should always have the overriding objective of obtaining samples of the highest possible integrity. A high integrity sample should provide, at the time of analysis, the best opportunity of determining the amount of chemical present in that medium as was present at the time the sample was obtained.

Sampling should always be conducted with this objective in mind. When sampling for high levels of pesticides, follow label safety precautions. Outlined in the guide are methods for collecting samples for pesticide residue analysis in air, surface water, ground water, soil, and vegetation.