Keeping Pace^® with Analytical Services

In 2023, the USP <797> standard for compounded sterile preparations was significantly revised to improve patient safety. Not only are there more protocols to follow, but pharmacies may need to demonstrate their adherence to USP <797> to various Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). Proving adherence includes documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs), but it also includes providing ample evidence that these SOPs are followed and effective.

Environmental consultants who conduct ESAs (environmental site assessments) are likely to see PFAS start playing a much larger role in their work. For those of you who are already dealing with PFAS, some of this may be remedial, but the goal of this post is to bring everyone up to date. This includes business leaders who may be buying, selling, or transferring property, including through merger or acquisition.

If you’ve been around long enough, you probably remember when the news first broke that asbestos, which had kept people safe for nearly a century, could actually kill us. Suddenly asbestos awareness was everywhere, particularly in schools.  

The U.S. EPA recently proposed an Information Collection Rule (ICR) focused on PFAS in wastewater influent, effluent, and biosolids. This post will cover the critical highlights for Pace® customers. For a deeper dive, you can watch the webinar on-demand.

A Discussion with Keith Sturgeon, Pace^® POPs Department Manager

Pace^® recently delivered a live webinar titled “INTERPRETING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOC) DATA IN AIR.” This webinar was widely attended and those of you who participated are familiar with the challenges discussed. In this blog, we seek to outline a few of the questions tackled during the webinar.

Issuing federally enforceable limits for PFAS in drinking water was a key action outlined in the U.S. EPA’s 2021-2024 PFAS Strategic Roadmap. In 2023, the agency released its initial proposal. Then, after considering more than 120,000 public comments and a review of the final rule by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the final rule was released on April 10, 2024. In this post, we review the different aspects of this rule and its implications for our customers.

As the U.S. summer vacation season heats up, now would be a good time for hotels, spas, health clubs, and other facilities catering to a water-minded clientele to test their water systems for opportunistic waterborne pathogens. According to the latest waterborne disease outbreak surveillance report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 62% of waterborne disease outbreaks originated in recreational water systems. Of course, recreational water–associated outbreaks can happen year-round, but 31% of these cases occurred in June or July.

The quality of data generated by the laboratory is only as good as the quality of the sample collected in the field. The Chain of Custody form is a critical document that guarantees the integrity and reliability of samples collected for analysis. This form documents every stage of the process and assigns responsibility for the sample at each stage. It is particularly crucial in legal proceedings where the analytical data may be used as evidence.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, otherwise known as PFAS, have become a frequent topic of discussion for water treatment and resource managers. This article examines the often-overlooked role stormwater runoff plays in propagating the PFAS problem.