What is the difference between screening analytical methods and more rigorous analytical methods?
The designation “screening method” has less to do with analytical chemistry, and more to do with the marketplace for analytical services. One can only discuss “screening analytical methods” if there is more than one method to analyze for the same target compounds. Analytical methods are compared by assessing a number of factors including analyte list, precision, bias, susceptibility to interferences, detection and quantification capability, quantification range, costs (a function of the required equipment and reagents, labor requirements, throughput, etc.), and so on. When more than one method exists to analyze for a particular target compound or element, one method will tend to excel in one aspect of method performance, but may be worse in other aspects. Naturally, a very important factor is cost. If method options all cost the same, there would be no incentive to use methods that tend to perform more poorly, and they would disappear from the marketplace. However, the cost advantages
