CONTAMINATION CONTROL MANAGEMENT: A SYSTEMS APPROACH.

This article presents a systems approach to contamination control. The systems approach involves the identification and solution of a problem. Problem identification requires making correct causal inferences between product failure and contamination sources, in much the same way that epidemiology is used to diagnose the causes of human illness. Problem solution involves intervention at one or more points in the contamination pathway (i. e. , source, transport, deposition, retention, and damage). Intervention alternatives should be compared on the basis of cost of implementation versus value of product saved (a cost/benefit approach) or on the basis of minimum cost necessary to achieve a predetermined level of quality (a cost-effectiveness approach). An example of the successful application of some of these identification and solution techniques is briefly described.