**Author details**

*Analytical Chemistry - Advancement, Perspectives and Applications*

large-scale longitudinal environmental health studies.

stability of samples stored over long periods.

cially for new analytes of interest.

for the study.

**Acknowledgements**

considerations.

**5. Considerations for the environmental research community**

Storage of environmental samples is an important component of large-scale and prospective studies. The environmental research community must address and document the answers to the questions above by conducting and providing data on

• If more stability data are available than presented here, these data should be provided in technical guidelines, study manuals, or published papers.

• Conduct and report on environmental sample storage stability studies, espe-

• In the interim, based on our research, a sample stability program should be integrated with sample collection as a part of the quality assurance procedures

This work was conducted under National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health Contract GS-23F-8144H, Order HHSN275201300092U. The authors wish to thank Roslyn Hennessey for initial screening review of articles identified by the literature search, and Barbara Beard for the review of storage stability

Collection and analysis of environmental samples for various analytes in largescale or longitudinal cohort studies is useful to investigate the contribution of the environment on health outcomes. Storing samples for long periods of time is necessary but expensive in these kinds of studies. Information about preserving sample quality and analyte stability in stored environmental samples is limited. Design and implementation of sample stability studies like those described here are recommended to ensure that samples are stored properly and generate reliable analytical results when required. Publication of environmental sample stability study results will likely provide valuable information to investigators who design and implement

**4. Conclusions**

**212**

Susan Marie Viet1 \*, Maire S.A. Heikkinen2 and Michael Dellarco3

1 Westat, Rockville, MD, USA

2 Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

3 Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA

\*Address all correspondence to: susanviet@westat.com

© 2021 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
