Standing Committee of Analysts (SCA) and Publications Catalogue
The SCA comprises a series of working groups who provide authoritative guidance on methods of sampling and analysis for determining the quality of environmental matrices. Guidance is published as Blue Books within the series Methods for the Examination of Waters and Associated materials.
If you would like to get involved in the development and drafting of these documents or you have any suggestions for topics that you believe the SCA should consider, please contact the Secretary, Dr. David Westwood. In addition, if you consider that previous SCA documents should be reviewed or revised, please contact the Secretary with an indication of your willingness to participate.
We can provide original booklets free of charge where stocks permit (contact ian.fox@environment-agency.gov.uk). Alternatively, if your chosen booklet is not available you can obtain a copy from the British Library Document Supply Service.
The latest Blue Books are only available in electronic format, as downloadable PDF documents.
Please contact us if you wish to receive advance notice of forthcoming SCA publications (contact david.westwood@environment-agency.gov.uk)
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Index of SCA Blue Book Methods (Acrobat, 38KB, 1 minute)
List of Blue Books available - Documents Currently under Development within SCA
Listed in this section are draft documents currently under development within the Standing Committee of Analysts (SCA). All drafts are at various stages of development and the text of each draft will change before final publication. -
The direct toxicity assessment of aqueous environmental samples using the Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata freshwater algal growth inhibition test (2008) (Acrobat, 296KB, 2 minutes)
Blue Book No 219 -
The Chemical disinfecting agents in waters and effluents (2008) (Acrobat, 490KB, 4 minutes)
Blue Book No 218 -
Index of Methods for the Examination of Waters and Associated Materials 1976 - 2008
(Acrobat, 1769KB, 15 minutes)
Blue Book No 217 -
An inter-laboratory trial on chemical oxygen demand determinations (2007) (Acrobat, 446KB, 4 minutes)
Blue Book No 216 (see bluebook 215) -
The determination of chemical oxygen demand in waters and effluents (2007) (Acrobat, 277KB, 2 minutes)
Blue Book No 215 (Revises bluebooks 4 and 97, see also bluebook 216) -
The determination of cyanide in waters and associated materials (2007) (Acrobat, 781KB, 6 minutes)
Blue Book No 214 (Updates Blue Book 131) -
Microbiology of Drinking Water (2007) - Part 6 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of sulphite-reducing clostridia and Clostridium perfringens by membrane filtration (Acrobat, 1202KB, 10 minutes)
Blue Book Number 213 (Replaces Blue Book 192) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2007) Part 7 - Methods for the enumeration of heterotrophic bacteria (Acrobat, 681KB, 6 minutes)
Blue Book No 212 (Replaces Blue Book 182) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2007) - Part 13 - The isolation and enumeration of aerobic spore-forming bacteria by membrane filtration (Acrobat, 255KB, 10 mins)
Blue Book No 211 -
The direct toxicity assessment of aqueous environmental samples using the marine copepod Tisbe battagliai lethality test (2007) (Acrobat, 1110KB, 6 Minutes)
Blue Book No 210 (Replaces Book 205) -
The direct toxicity assessment of aqueous environmental samples using the oyster (Crassostrea gigas) embryo-larval development test (2007) (Acrobat, 1645KB, 8 Minutes)
Blue Book No 209 (Replaces Book 203) -
The direct toxicity assessment of aqueous environmental samples using the juvenile Daphnia magna immobilisation test (2007) (Acrobat, 1491KB, 14 minutes)
Blue book No 208 -
Determination of the inhibitory effect of chemicals, industrial and other waste waters on nitrification by Nitrosomonas bacteria (2006) (Acrobat, 329KB, 5 minutes)
Blue Book No 207 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2006) - Part 9 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Salmonella and Shigella by selective enrichment, membrane filtration and multiple tube-most probable number techniques (Replaces 194) (Acrobat, 604KB, 5 minutes)
Blue Book No 206 -
The direct toxicity assessment of aqueous environmental samples using the marine copepod Tisbe battagliai lethality test (2006) (Acrobat, 661KB, 5 mins)
Blue Book No 205 (Replaced by Book 210) -
The determination of metals in solid environmental samples (2006) (Zip, 1916KB, 8 Minutes)
Blue Book No 204 -
The direct toxicity assessment of aqueous environmental samples using the oyster (Crassostrea gigas) embryo-larval development test (2006) (Acrobat, 1761KB, 10 mins)
Blue Book No 203 (Replaced by Book 209) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2006) - Part 5 - The isolation and enumeration of enterococci by membrane filtration (Acrobat, 441KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 202 (see also Blue Book 180) -
The preparation and pre-treatment of potentially contaminated soils prior to chemical analysis (2006) (Acrobat, 113KB, 1 Minute)
Blue Book No 201 -
The determination of Legionella bacteria in waters and other environmental samples (2005) - Part 1 - Rationale of surveying and sampling (Acrobat, 401KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 200 -
The assessment of aerobic biodegradability by measurement of dissolved and/or gaseous inorganic carbon in sealed vessels (2005) (Acrobat, 313KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 199 -
Guidance on the measurement of tritium in environmental samples (2005) (Acrobat, 327KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 198 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2004) - Part 12 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of micro-organisms associated with taste, odour and related aesthetic problems - This amended version contains corrected formula for medium described in Section D8.1. (Acrobat, 788KB, 7 Minutes)
Blue Book No 197 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2004) Part 11 - Taste, odour and related aesthetic problems (Acrobat, 436KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 196 -
The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2004) - Part 4 - Methods for the detection, isolation and enumeration of Salmonellae (Acrobat, 1217KB, 8 Minutes)
Blue Book No 195 (Replaces Blue Book No 191) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2004) - Part 9 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Salmonella and Shigella by selective enrichment, membrane filtration and multiple tube most probable number techniques (Acrobat, 672KB, 6 Minutes)
Blue Book No 194 (Replaces Blue Book No 184) -
A guide to practices, procedures and methodologies following oil spill contamination incidents (2004) (Zip, 1910KB, 8 Minutes)
Blue Book No 193 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2004) - Part 6. Methods for the isolation and enumeration of sulphite-reducing clostridia and Clostridium perfringens by membrane filtration (Acrobat, 292KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 192 (Replaces Blue Book No 181, Superceded by Blue Book 213) -
The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2003) - Part 4. Methods for the detection, isolation and enumeration of Salmonellae (Acrobat, 1056KB, 8 Minutes)
Blue Book No 191 (Superseded by Blue Book No. 195) -
The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2003) - Part 3. Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Escherichia coli, including verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (Acrobat, 859KB, 8 Minutes)
Blue Book No 190 -
The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2003) - Part 2. Practices and procedures for sampling and sample preparation (Acrobat, 304KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 189 -
The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2003) - Part 1. An overview of the treatment and use in agriculture of sewage sludge in relation to its impact on the environment and public health (Acrobat, 368KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 188 -
The determination of polychlorinated biphenyls by gas chromatography using mass spectrometric detection (2003) (Acrobat, 1190KB, 8 Minutes)
Blue Book No 187 -
The determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil by dichloromethane extraction using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (2003) (Acrobat, 391KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 186 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 10 - Methods for the isolation of Yersinia, Vibrio and Campylobacter by selective enrichment (Acrobat, 142KB, 2 Minutes)
Blue Book No 185 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 9 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Salmonella and Shigella by selective enrichment, membrane filtration and multiple tube most probable number techniques (Acrobat, 163KB, 2 Minutes)
Blue Book No 184 (Superseded by Blue Book No. 194) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 8 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Aeromonas and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by membrane filtration (Acrobat, 117KB, 2 Minutes)
Blue Book No 183 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 7 - The enumeration of heterotrophic bacteria by pour and spread plate techniques (Acrobat, 87KB, 1 Minute)
Blue Book No 182 (Replaced by Blue Book 212) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 6 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of sulphite-reducing clostridia and Clostridium perfringens by membrane filtration. The new edition of The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2004) - Part 6 is now available. Please refer to Blue Book No. 192 below (Acrobat, 105KB, 2 Minutes)
Blue Book No 181 (Superseded by Blue Book No.192) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 5 - Isolation and enumeration of enterococci by membrane filtration (Acrobat, 94KB, 1 Minute)
Blue Book No 180 (See also Blue Book No 202) -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 4 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli (including E. coli 0157:H7) (Acrobat, 231KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 179 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 3 - Practices and procedures for laboratories (Acrobat, 343KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 178 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 2 - Practices and procedures for sampling (Acrobat, 110KB, 2 Minutes)
Blue Book No 177 -
The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 1 - Water Quality and Public Health (Acrobat, 207KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 176 -
The Microbiology of Recreational and Environmental Waters (2000) (Acrobat, 323KB, 3 Minutes)
Blue Book No 175 -
The determination of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in waters and complex matrices (2000) (Acrobat, 762KB, 7 Minutes)
Blue Book No 174 -
The determination of tritium (tritiated water) activity concentration by alkaline distillation and liquid scintillation counting 1999 (Acrobat, 39KB, 1 Minute)
Blue Book No 173 -
Isolation and identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in waters 1999 (Acrobat, 194KB, 2 minutes)
Blue Book No 172 -
The assessment of taste, odour and related aesthetic problems in drinking waters 1998 (See also Blue Book Nos. 196 and 197) (Acrobat, 259KB, 3 minutes)
Blue Book No 171
