Environmental Data Quality Workgroup
With representatives from Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Logistics Agency, this workgroup’s primary mission is to develop and recommend DoD policy pertaining to environmental sampling, laboratory testing operations, and data quality.
Primary goals are to:
- Promote the generation of environmental data of known and documented quality
- Develop and recommend DoD policy affecting environmental sampling and testing operations
- Facilitate a coordinated response to legislative and regulatory issues
- Coordinate the exchange of technology and best management practices within DoD
- Improve overall performance.
Search Accredited Labs
The EDQW also responds to legislative and regulatory initiatives and other requests for Component information and policy, and coordinates information exchange among DoD Components.
The Department of Defense/ Department of Energy Consolidated Quality Systems Manual for Environmental Laboratories (QSM) was updated to version 5.2/5.3 to address the new requirements of the underlying ISO standard 17025:2017. Just like earlier versions of the QSM, both QSM versions 5.2 and 5.3 meet the requirements of ISO 17025:2005 and The NELAC Institute (TNI) Standard 2009. Any laboratory accredited to DoD QSM 5.2/5.3 can meet the testing requirements for projects requiring accreditation to earlier versions of the DoD QSM. As with all work, projects are required to ensure that selected laboratories can meet the method requirements specified in the project specific quality assurance project plan.
What’s New
DoD AFFF01, Revision 1.0, dated December 07, 2021, is the finalized method that is required by the Performance Specification Fire Fighting Agent, Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Liquid Concentrate, for Fresh and Sea Water, MIL-PRF-24385 (current revision) for the determination of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) content of AFFF concentrates. MIL-PRF-24385 requires the testing using this method, to be conducted by a DoD ELAP laboratory whose scope of accreditation included the testing of AFFF concentrate by method DoD AFFF01. The scope of this method is specific to the determination of PFOA and PFOS in AFFF concentrates, a commercial product, not environmental media. DoD AFFF01 is a prescriptive method due the intended use of the data to demonstrate compliance to the PFOA and PFOS content specification in MIL-PRF-24385. MIL-PRF-24385 requires compliant AFFF concentrates to contain no more than 25 ppb of PFOA and PFOS each.
June 2021 EMDQ Workshop Webinar: DoD Data Validation Guidelines
May 2021 EMDQ Workshop Webinar
October 2020 EMDQ Webinar: DoD Data Validation Guidelines
May 2020 EMDQ Workshop Webinar
The DoD EDQW has developed the DoD Advanced Geophysical Classification Accreditation Program (DAGCAP) to accredit organizations that perform advanced classification at DoD MRS. The DAGCAP will use third-party accreditation bodies (ABs) to provide a unified program through which geophysical classification organizations (GCOs) can demonstrate competency and document conformance to a set of requirements.
Requirements are based on the international standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories supplemented by the DoD Quality Systems Requirements for Organizations Performing Advanced Classification (DoD QSR).
We have also provided a frequently asked question (FAQ) document to accompany the QSR.