Why are reporting limits sometimes elevated in a result?
The reporting limits that can be achieved on actual environmental samples can be influenced by a number of factors such as sample size, final extraction volume, injection volume, dilutions, instrument sensitivity, and matrix interferences. For example, if dilution of the sample is necessary due to matrix interference, the reporting limit must be adjusted to account for the dilution factor used. A ten-fold dilution will result in the reporting limit being elevated by a corresponding factor of ten.
