Disposal at sea permit application guide: disposal site selection, appendix C.4

Minimum sample analytical requirements

The tables below list the analyses required under regulation for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). We may request testing for additional chemicals of concern on a site-specific basis. All analyses for contaminants and physical characteristics should be conducted according to the requirements listed in these tables.

Table 1: Requirements for physical parameters

Physical Parameters	Analytical Method	Minimum Detection Limit Acceptable to ECCC	Units
Total Organic Carbon	EPA/600/R-02/069	≤ 0.1	%¹¹
Moisture	ASTM D2216-19	≤ 1	%
Grain Size	Sieve and pipette analysis or laser diffraction		Wentworth Classification
Gravel	ASTM D422-63		% phi or 16 mm to 2 mm
Sand	ASTM D422-63		% phi or 2 mm to 0.0625 mm
Silt	ASTM D422-63		% phi or 0.0625 to 0.0039 mm
clay	ASTM D422-63		% phi or < 0.0039 mm

Table 2: Requirements for organic parameters

Organics	Analytical Method^Footnote12	Target¹³ Detection Limit (mg/kg dry weight)	Screening Level¹⁴ (µg/kg dry weight) [Minimum Detection Limit must be lower]
Total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)^Footnote15^Footnote16	MA400-BPC 1.0 or EPA 1668C¹⁷	method and/or lab dependent	100
Total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)^Footnote15^Footnote18	EPA 8270C	0.05	2500
Acenaphthene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Naphthalene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Acenaphthylene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Anthracene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Phenanthrene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Fluorene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Fluoranthene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Benz[a]anthracene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Benzo[a]pyrene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Benzo[b]fluoranthene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Benzo[k]fluoranthene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Chrysene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Benzo[ghi]perylene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Dibenz[a,h]anthracene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene	EPA 8270C	0.05
Pyrene	EPA 8270C	0.05

Table 3: Requirements for metal analysis

Metals	Digestion Method	Analytical Method¹²	Target¹³ Detection Limit (mg/kg dry weight)	Screening Level¹⁴ (mg/kg dry weight) [Minimum Detection Limit must be lower]
Cadmium^Footnote15	EPA 3050B	EPA 6020A	0.20	0.6
Mercury^Footnote15	EPA 3050B	EPA 7471	0.05	0.75
Arsenic	EPA 3050B	EPA 6020A	1.00	7.24
Chromium	EPA 3050B	EPA 6020A	1.00	52.3
Copper	EPA 3050B	EPA 6020A	1.00	18.7
Lead	EPA 3050B	EPA 6020A	0.5	30.2
Zinc	EPA 3050B	EPA 6020A	1.00	124

Footnote 11

Total Organic Carbon is the most common source of reporting errors; report the parameter as a percentage.

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Footnote 12

We may accept results from an equivalent method that can achieve the specified Target Detection Limit. To determine acceptability, you must provide supporting documentation of the method to us for review before analysis as part of the project’s Sampling and Analysis Plan. Note that we may not accept results from an alternate method that does not achieve target detection levels, and we will not accept data when associated detection limits are above screening levels. Your nearest Disposal at Sea Program regional office can provide further information.

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Footnote 13

The minimum detection limit that we will accept for each contaminant is less than its Screening Level (for example, the minimum detection limit for copper must be less than 0.6 mg/kg). Nevertheless, the target detection limit is preferred and will help to avoid the need for re-analysis, particularly where non-detect data is reported.

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Footnote 14

Screening levels are the Lower Level of the National Action List as defined in the Disposal at Sea Regulations and relevant Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines

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Footnote 15

Indicates contaminants that must be measured as per the Disposal at Sea Regulations. Other contaminants must also be measured in accordance with the Disposal at Sea Permit Application Regulations.

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Footnote 16

Total PCB is defined as either the sum of the results of congeners PCB-16 to PCB-209 or the sum of the results for the tri- to deca- chlorobiphenyl homologue groups as reported by the EPA 1668C or the MA400-BPC 1.0 method, respectively. The instrumentation should be gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

3 results should be included in the report:

concentrations of all targeted congeners (PCB-16 to PCB-209)
concentrations for the homologue groups (from tri- to deca- chlorobiphenyl), and
total PCB concentration.

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Footnote 17

In areas designated as Critical Habitat for Southern Resident Killer Whale under the Species at Risk Act (for example, Sand Heads disposal at sea site), the existing operational policy requiring the use of method EPA 1668C for PCB analysis is still in place.

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Footnote 18

Total PAH is defined as the sum of the 16 compounds as listed in the table.

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Date modified:: 2020-05-14

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