Designation:D6044−21StandardGuideforRepresentativeSamplingforManagementofWasteandContaminatedMedia1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationD6044;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(´)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.1.Scope1.1Thisguidecoversthedefinitionofrepresentativenessinenvironmentalsampling,identifiessourcesthatcanaffectrepresentativeness(especiallybias),anddescribestheattri-butesthatarepresentativesampleorarepresentativesetofsamplesshouldpossess.Forconvenience,theterm“represen-tativesample”isusedinthisguidetodenotebotharepresen-tativesampleandarepresentativesetofsamples,unlessotherwisequalifiedinthetext.1.2Thisguideoutlinesaprocessbywhicharepresentativesamplemaybeobtainedfromapopulation.Thepurposeoftherepresentativesampleistoprovideinformationaboutastatis-ticalparameter(s)(suchasmean)ofthepopulationregardingsomecharacteristic(s)(suchasconcentration)ofitsconstitu-ent(s)(suchaslead).Thisprocessincludesthefollowingstages:(1)minimizationofsamplingbiasandoptimizationofprecisionwhiletakingthephysicalsamples,(2)minimizationofmeasurementbiasandoptimizationofprecisionwhenanalyzingthephysicalsamplestoobtaindata,and(3)minimi-zationofstatisticalbiaswhenmakinginferencesfromthesampledatatothepopulation.Whilebothbiasandprecisionarecoveredinthisguide,majoremphasisisgiventobiasreduction.1.3Thisguidedescribestheattributesofarepresentativesampleandpresentsageneralmethodologyforobtainingrepresentativesamples.Itdoesnot,however,providespecificorcomprehensivesamplingprocedures.Itistheuser’srespon-sibilitytoensurethatproperandadequateproceduresareused.1.4Theassessmentoftherepresentativenessofasampleisnotcoveredinthisguidesinceitisnotpossibletoeverknowthetruevalueofthepopulation.1.5Sincethepurposeofeachsamplingeventisunique,thisguidedoesnotattempttogiveastep-by-stepaccountofhowtodevelopasam...
