GAO Says Test Must Be Validated To Be Reliable
The government accounting Office is one of Winston's favorite federal agencies. The GAO's reports often hit upon truths that apply beyond the scope of their immediate subject.

For example, the GAO Report Anthrax Detection: Agencies Need to Validate Sampling Activities in Order to Increase Confidence in Negative Results is directly concerned only with the accuracy and reliability of anthrax sampling at 286 postal facilities. The EPA, CDC and Postal Service performed the tests. The tests showed anthrax at some of the postal facilities, none at most. The GAO concluded that workers and users cannot rely on these tests because the test methods had never been validated in accordance with accepted validation procedures. In the report's own words:

The results of the agencies' testing in 286 postal facilities were largely negative-no anthrax was detected. However, agencies did not use validated sample collection and analytical methods. According to the agencies, validated methods were not available in 2001. Thus, there can be little confidence in negative results. Validation is a formal, empirical process in which an authority determines and certifies the performance characteristics of a given method. Consequently, the lack of validation of agencies' activities, coupled with limitations associated with their targeted sampling strategy, means that negative results may not be reliable.