intended for use in community/technical college environmental technology curricula or in industrial training programs. Comprehension of the subject matter is enhanced by associated coursework in chemistry, biology, environmental regulations, and college-level mathematics. The goal of the present textbook is to provide the environmental technician with the knowledge and skills necessary to assist a site characterization project planner in the sampling and monitoring process. Among the tasks the students will learn how to perform are: * assisting the research of a site's background for data that a project manager will use in the development of a site sampling plan * meeting representative sampling objectives and quality control/quality assurance objectives * preparing to go onsite for a sampling event * monitoring a site for potentially hazardous atmospheres * following the sampling plan in collecting samples from various media (e.g., soil, surface water, ground water, and containers) * troubleshooting under unforeseen circumstances * preparing samples for transport to the laboratory * documenting field activities * communicating with laboratory personnel * interpreting lab reports, including the validation of quality control data The text contains photographs and line drawings to help students visualize equipment and processes. Included are instructional aids such as chapter objectives, concept statements before major sections, review questions (as well as application and critical thinking activities) after each section, and a glossary of the terminology.

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