Field Lot Control Numbers

Field lot control numbers are used to associate samples sharing common field quality control (QC) samples.  The format and functionality of the field lot control numbering system has been changed to allow the assignment of blanks to normal samples collected over multiple days.  Field lot control numbers now consist of four fields: ABLOT, EBLOT, TBLOT and COOLER.  The ABLOT, EBLOT and TBLOT fields are formatted as N8, DDMMYYNN.  The field COOLER is formatted as C2 to indicate the alphanumeric assignment of a specific cooler id to the ice chest in which the normal samples and field blanks were placed.

As in previous DLH versions, enter into the LOGDATE field the date that a blank is placed in a cooler with its associated normal samples.  Leave the ABLOT, EBLOT, and TBLOT fields null for all blank samples.  For all normal samples, enter the numeric date (DDMMYY) of an associated blank’s LOGDATE in the appropriate lot field (ABLOT, EBLOT or TBLOT), combined with the SAMPNO of the associated blank.  Enter into field COOLER, the alphanumeric id of the cooler containing a trip blank and its related samples.  For normal samples not associated with a blank, leave the corresponding field blank.   Thus, if there is no Trip Blank associated with a normal sample, the TBLOT field will be left blank.  The same reasoning applies to normal samples not related to Ambient or Equipment blanks.

EXAMPLE #1

Two crews conducted sampling on consecutive days.  Crew #1 collected normal environmental samples from monitoring wells # 01, 02, 03, 06 and 07 and a field duplicate from monitoring well #03.  They also collected equipment blanks, ambient blanks and a trip blanks.  The next day, crew #2 collected normal environmental samples from monitoring wells # 04, 05, 08, 09 and 10.  They also collected equipment blanks and ambient blanks.  The samples (and field duplicate) from wells 1, 2 and 3 were shipped in cooler B.  The samples from wells 4, 5, 6 and 7 and the equipment blanks, ambient blanks and the trip blanks were shipped in cooler A.  The samples from wells 8, 9 and 10 were shipped in cooler C.  The following chart and figure show the field lot control numbers associated with each sample taken.  In this example the two ambient blanks and the two equipment blanks are differentiated from each other by their LOGDATEs.  The associations to the normal samples are covered by the first six digits of the ABLOT and EBLOT entries.

EXAMPLE #2

Two crews conducted sampling on the same day.  All other conditions are identical to example #1. In this example the two ambient blanks and the two equipment blanks are differentiated from each other by their SAMPNOs.  The associations to the normal samples are covered by the last two digits of the ABLOT and EBLOT entries.

Data Table for Example #2

Laboratory Lot Control Numbers

Laboratory lot control numbers are used to associate samples sharing common laboratory quality control samples.  The laboratory lot control number is a number assigned to analytical batches by the laboratory.  The following figure shows how the samples (from the field lot number example) might be "batched" together with laboratory QC samples and assigned a laboratory lot control number.