ASTM_D_5956_-_15.pdf

Designation:D595615Standard Guide forSampling Strategies for Heterogeneous Wastes1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5956;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide is a practical,nonmathematical discussionfor heterogeneous waste sampling strategies.This guide isconsistent with the particulate material sampling theory,aswell as inferential statistics,and may serve as an introductionto the statistical treatment of sampling issues.1.2 This guide does not provide comprehensive samplingprocedures,nor does it serve as a guide to any specification.Itis the responsibility of the user to ensure appropriate proce-dures are used.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Terminology2.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:2.1.1 attribute,na quality of samples or a population.2.1.1.1 DiscussionHomogeneity,heterogeneity,and prac-tical homogeneity are population attributes.Representativenessand intersample variance are sample attributes.2.1.2 characteristic,na property of items,a sample orpopulation that can be measured,counted,or otherwise ob-served.2.1.2.1 DiscussionA characteristic of interest may be thecadmium concentration or ignitability of a population.2.1.3 component,nan easily identified item such as a largecrystal,an agglomerate,rod,container,block,glove,piece ofwood,or concrete.2.1.4 composite sample,na combination of two or moresamples.2.1.4.1 DiscussionWhen compositing samples to detecthot spots or whenever there may be a reason to determinewhich of the component samples that constitute the compositeare the source of the detected contaminant,it can be helpful tocomposite only portions of the component samples.Theremainders of the component samples then can be archived forfuture reference and analysis.This approach is particularlyhelpful when sampling is expensive,hazardous,or difficult.2.1.5 correlation,nthe mutual relation of two or morethings.2.1.6 database,na comprehensive collection of relateddata organized for quick access.2.1.6.1 DiscussionDatabase as used in this guide refers toa collection of data generated by the collection and analysis ofmore than one physical sample.2.1.7 data quality objectives(DQO),nDQOs are qualita-tive and quantitative statements derived from the DQO processdescribing the decision rules and the uncertainties of thedecision(s)within the context of the problem(s).2.1.8 data quality objective process,na quality manage-ment tool based on the scientific method and developed by theU.S.Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate the plan-ning of environmental data collection activities.2.1.8.1 DiscussionThe DQO process enables planners tofocus their planning efforts by specifying the use of the data(the decision),the decision criteria(action level)and thedecision makers acceptable decision error rates.The productsof the DQO process are the DQOs.2.1.9 heterogeneity,nthe condition of the population un-der which items of the population are not identical with respectto the characteristic of interest.2.1.10 homogeneity,nthe condition of the populationunder which all items of the population are identical withrespect to the characteristic of interest.2.1.10.1 DiscussionHomogeneity is a word that has morethan one meaning.In statistics,a population may be consideredhomogeneous when it has one distribution(for example,if theconcentration of lead varies between the different items thatconstitute a population and the varying concentrations can bedescribed by a single distribution and mean value,then thepopulation would be considered homogeneous).A populationcontaining different strata would not have a single distributionthroughout,and in statistics,may be considered to be hetero-geneous.The terms homogeneity and heterogeneity as used inthis guide,however,reflect the understanding more common to1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D34 on WasteManagement and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D34.01.01 onPlanning for Sampling.Current edition approved May 1,2015.Published May 2015.Originallyapproved in 1996.Last previous edition approved in 2006 as D5956 96(2006),which was withdrawn in January 2015 and reinstated in May 2015.DOI:10.1520/D5956-15.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 chemists,geologists,and engineers.The terms are used asdescribed in the previous definitions and refer to the similarityor dissimilarity of items that constitute the population.Accord-in