The report discusses the design and operation of a pilot analytical methodology information storage and retrieval system tailored to the needs of the Analytical Quality Control Laboratory (AQCL) and other segments of the National Analytical Methods Development Research Program (NAMDRP). All aspects of the system are presented.

Snow samples were taken from the plateau glacier of Mt. Logan, Y.T., Canada during an investigation intent on demonstrating the feasibility of taking such samples from high altitude snowfields for pesticide analysis and developing sampling techniques devoid of contamination. Samples were also taken at a depth of 15 m to determine whether DDT concentration varied with the age of the snow. Pesticide analyses were performed using vapor phase chromatographic techniques. DDT was not detected within the limit of detectability (5 ng/l). Over half the samples were contaminated with PCB's which raised the detectability limit to 10-50 ng/1. The PCB contamination is believed to have come from the sampling auger, as an analysis of rinsings from it seemed to confirm. A sample taken from a depth of 1.5-2.5 m was acidified with distilled nitric acid, when thawed, and analyzed for 19 elements simultaleously using a direct reading emission spectrometer. Four elements were detected: boron at 4 ng/ml, cadmium at 9 ng/ml, chromium at 2 ng/ml, and iron at 47 ng/ml. The high levels of cadmium and especially iron suggest contamination from the alloy steels of the auger.

The introduction of sulfite waste liquors into streams often leads to the development of unsightly masses of biological slime dominated by Sphaerotilus. One approach for controlling the development of Sphaerotilus in streams receiving pulp mill wastes has been to employ biological methods for treating wastes before release into a receiving stream. The study evaluates the slime growth potential of pulp mill wastes treated by various methods of biodegradation. Wastes were tested both before and after secondary treatment in order to determine the type of biodegradable material present in the influent, determine the extent of fermentation during treatment, and the amount of biodegraded fermentable compounds discharged in the effluent. These studies were carried out in an effort to define total carbon, readily fermentable carbon, and to design a reasonably accurate and sensitive method for predicting adequate water quality presently measured by BOD.