Data from USGS National Water Quality Laboratory methods used to calculate and compare detection limits estimated using single- and multi-concentration spike-based and blank-based procedures

This dataset provides the expected and determined concentrations of selected inorganic and organic analytes for spiked reagent-water samples (calibration standards and limit of quantitation standards) that were used to calculate detection limits by using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Method Detection Limit (MDL) version 1.11 or 2.0 procedures, ASTM International’s Within-Laboratory Critical Level standard procedure D7783-13, and, for five pharmaceutical compounds, by USEPA’s Lowest Concentration Minimum Reporting Level procedure. Also provided are determined concentration data for reagent-water laboratory blank samples, classified as either instrument blank or set blank samples, and reagent-water blind-blank samples submitted by the USGS Quality System Branch, that were used to calculate blank-based detection limits by using the USEPA MDL version 2.0 procedure or procedures described in National Water Quality Laboratory Technical Memorandum 2016.02, http://wwwnwql.cr.usgs.gov/tech_memos/nwql.2016-02.pdf. The determined detection limits are provided and compared in the related external publication at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122139.