A History of EPA Regulations and How They Created the Environmental Testing Industry

Keynote Speaker
Oral Presentation

Prepared by J. Parr1, J. Morgan2
1 - The NELAC Institute, PO Box 2439, Weatherford, TX, 76086, United States
2 - Pace Analytical, , , United States


Contact Information: jerry.parr@nelac-institute.org; 817-598-1624


ABSTRACT

In 1969, environmental testing in the US was relegated to academic research, some limited wastewater testing for operational parameters such as BOD, and some ambient water quality monitoring by public health agencies. That all began to change in 1970 with the formation of the USEPA. The next 10 years would see the development of significant laws and EPA regulations that fundamentally changed environmental monitoring and created an environmental testing industry. This presentation will discuss each of these regulations, what kind of testing they require and how each EPA program office approaches the use of test methods within the regulation.