Special Report No. 84-03: A Study of Trace-Enrichment Cartridges for Use in Sample Collection and Analysis of Silvicultural Herbicides

Technical Bulletin No. 430, which immediately preceded this special report, dealt with the organization, conduct and interpretation of the findings of receiving water quality surveys carried out in conjunction with the aerial application of herbicides in forestry management. This special report describes the results of a laboratory study designed to explore the utility of more cost-effective receiving water sample collection and analysis methods for use in determining the extent to which herbicides may have inadvertently entered water courses during application. The bulletin describes a preliminary study in which trace- enrichment cartridges were used to extract, desorb, and subsequently analyze four commonly used silvicultural herbicides. The study did not conclusively prove that trace-enrichment cartridges could be used for water sampling and subsequent quantitative analysis, since infield samples were not examined for interference and adjuvants that might occur.