EMS created this guide for EPA's National Air and Environmental Radiation Laboratory as part of a planned series designed to provide field response personnel and laboratory personnel with likely radioanalytical requirements, decision paths, and default data quality and measurement quality objectives for samples taken after a radiological or nuclear incident, such as that caused by a terrorist attack. Three radioanalytical scenarios address the immediate need to determine the concentration of known or unknown radionuclides in water. The scenarios are based upon the radionuclides that probably would be released by a radiological dispersion device or those that may be released intentionally into the drinking water supply. Use of established analytical schemes will increase the laboratory efficiency so that large numbers of samples can be analyzed in a timely manner. The use of the analytical schemes and the associated measurement quality objectives also will ensure that the radioanalytical data produced will be of known quality appropriate for the intended incident response decisions. Subsequent reports in this series include "Radiological Laboratory Sample Analysis Guide for Incidents of National Significance—Radionuclides in Air," "Method Validation Requirements for Qualifying Methods Used by Radioanalytical Laboratories Participating in Incident Response Activities," and "Radiological Laboratory Sample Analysis Guide for Incidents of National Significance—Gross Sample Screening Analysis."

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