Arkansas Code
Subchapter 2 - Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program Act
§ 8-2-203. Definitions

As used in this subchapter:
(1) “Acceptable results” means results within limits determined on the basis of statistical procedures as prescribed by the Division of Environmental Quality;
(2) “Accreditation” means the process by which the division recognizes a laboratory as meeting certain predetermined qualifications or standards, thereby accrediting the laboratory;
(3) “Analyte” means the characteristics of a laboratory sample determined by an analytical laboratory testing procedure;
(4) “Certificate” means a document issued by the division showing the analytes for which a laboratory has received accreditation;
(5)
(A) “Consulting laboratory” means a laboratory that performs analyses for any person other than itself.
(B) “Consulting laboratory” does not include a laboratory that is wholly owned by the person for whom the analyses are performed;

(6) “Evaluation” means a review of the quality control and quality assurance procedures, recordkeeping, reporting procedures, methodology, and analytical techniques of a laboratory for measuring or establishing specific analytes;
(7)
(A) “Laboratory” means any facility that performs analyses to determine the chemical, physical, or biological properties of air, water, solid waste, hazardous waste, wastewater, or soil or subsoil materials or that performs any other analyses related to environmental quality evaluations required by the division or which will be submitted to the division.
(B) “Laboratory” does not include evaluations to determine the engineering properties related to soil mechanics;

(8)
(A) “Matrix” means the components of a sample other than the one (1) or more analyte of interest.
(B) “Matrix” includes without limitation nonpotable water, soil, or oil;

(9) “Method” means procedures and techniques for performing an activity systematically presented in the order in which the procedures and techniques are to be executed;
(10) “Person” means any individual, corporation, company, firm, partnership, association, trust, joint-stock company or trust, venture, municipal, state, or federal government or agency, or any other legal entity, however organized; and
(11) “Proficiency test sample” means a sample of composition that is unknown to the laboratory and is provided to test whether the laboratory can produce analytical results within the specified acceptance criteria.