This document provides an overview of the validation of air quality measurement methods in the standardization process.

This document deals with robustness testing and interlaboratory testing as the two main steps of partial and full validation. It applies to the different inter-related elements of air quality measurement methods, covering e.g. sampling, sample preparation, storage and transportation of the sample, extraction, analysis or quantification of a measured component and reporting.

Consequently, this document focuses on the "why" and "what" of validation tasks in direct relation to the different steps of the standardization process. This document is focused on the validation tasks for measurement methods either for the whole measurement process or for one of its constituent parts.

Given the informative aim of this document, it does not contain detailed procedures for performing the validation tasks, such as number of laboratories, number of samples, etc.

This document is relevant to measurement methods in ISO/TC 146 and all of its subcommittees.