5.1 An appropriately developed, executed and documented equipment decontamination practice is an integral and essential part of waste site investigations. The benefits of its use include:
5.1.1 Minimizing the spread of contaminants within a study area and from site to site,
5.1.2 Reducing the potential for worker exposure by means of contact with contaminated sampling equipment or hazardous materials,
5.1.3 Improved data quality and reliability.
5.1.4 Minimizing the amount of decontamination fluids or wastes generated.
5.1.5 Reducing personnel exposures to chemicals used in, or released by decontamination.
5.1.6 Minimizing or eliminating the use of hazardous materials in the decontamination process, and
5.1.7 Selecting equipment based on total life-cycle costs including labor, waste containment, disposal, treatment and additional analytical costs, such as using dedicated or disposable equipment rather than decontaminating between uses.
5.2 This practice is not a substitute for a well-documented Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program. Because the ultimate test of a decontamination process is its ability to minimize erroneous data, a reasonable QA/QC program must be implemented.
5.3 This practice may not be applicable to all waste sites. When a sampling effort is completed to determine only the general range of chemical concentrations of interest, then less rigorous decontamination processes can be adequate. Less rigorous decontamination procedures may also be used when cleaning non-porous surfaces, such as metal surfaces as well. Investigators should have the flexibility to modify the decontamination process with due consideration for the sampling objective or if QA/QC documentation supports alternative decontamination methods.
5.4 At sites where the reactivity of sampling equipment to decontamination washes creates concern for the generation of undesirable chemical by-products, or will potentially damage the equipment surfaces, for example, the use of an acid rinse on metal equipment, then use of dedicated sampling equipment should be considered.
5.5 This practice, where applicable, should be used before, between, and after the completion of sampling events.
5.6 This practice is appropriate for use at sites where chemical (organic and inorganic) contamination is known or expected. The application of this practice to other types of sites radiological, mixed (radiological and chemical), or biohazard contaminated sites is not applicable. The application of this practice to these types of sites should be undertaken with care and consideration, along with QA/QC documentation that supports the ef......