International Measurement Evaluation Programme

Table 5.2. The International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP) rounds up to 2006 arranged by analyte and matrix (IRMM 2006)...

IRMM (2006), The International Measurement Evaluation Programme. Available http //www.irmm.jrc.be/imep/ (Geel Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements). 

An accurate determination of copper and zinc traces in human serum samples from the International Measurement Evaluation Programme-17 launched by IRMM (Geel) has been made by isotope dilution TIMS.38 An analytical method for the multi-element determination of metals (Ti, V, Cr, Co, Ni and Mo) potentially released from dental implants and prostheses into human body fluids (in blood and urine) by ICP-MS (double-focusing sector field instrument and quadrupole instrument with octopole collision cell) for medical studies was developed in Sanz-Medel s group.39 The Cr and Co concentrations found in blood samples of patients with chromium-cobalt based alloy varied in the sub-p,gl 1 range and were not significantly higher than the basal levels found by other authors.40... 

The same conclusion also follows from a totally different observation. Figure 6 displays the results of an interlaboratory comparison (in this case the international measurement evaluation programme IMEP-6) according to methods as used by the participants. It is clear that this picture only reflects the degree of reproducibility of results obtained by various methods, but does not yield traceability of the measured values to an a priori stated reference. 

Table 3 Acceptance limits set by external quality assessment (EQA) organizers for inorganic components in human serum based on biological variations and the potential of routine methods and observed ranges in the International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP)-7 Evaluation Programme [5]...

Certifying laboratories have to prove their competence by successful participation in interlaboratory comparisons [CCQM, IMEP (International Measurement. Evaluation Programme)] or PT-schemes [19]... 

L. Van Nevel, P. D. P. Taylor, U. Omemark, J. R. Moody, K. G. Heumann, P. De Bievre, The International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP), Accred. Qual. Assur., 3 (1998), 56D68. 

C. R. Quetel, S. M. Nelms, L. Van Nevel, I. Papadakis, P. D. P. Taylor, CertiPcation of the lead mass fraction in wine for comparison 16 of the International Measurement Evaluation Programme, J. Anal. Atom. Spectrom., 16 (2001), 1091D1100. 

The issues of method validation and assessment of measurement uncertainty in the determination of potentially toxic trace elements in rice are of permanent interest for the scientific community. In this context, the sources of uncertainty associated with the determination of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn have been recently estimated in rice through an interlaboratory comparison [30]. Four Brazilian laboratories participated in the proficiency test. The analytical technique used were FAAS, ET-AAS, and ICP-AES. The rice samples were supplied by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), Joint Research Center of the European Commission, within the scope of the interlaboratory comparison International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP) 19 Trace Elements in Rice (see also Chapter 7 in this book). Three out of the four laboratories reported values close to the reference values. It was emphasized that, in order to establish a reliable uncertainty budget, all significant sources of uncertainty should be identified. 

BIOMERCURY Worldwide remediation of mercury hazards through biotechnology Certification of trace elements Several projects with JRC, IRMM- International Measurement Evaluation Programme Geel, Belgium... 

Oernemark, U.,Taylor, P. D. P, and De Bievre, P. (1997). Certification of the rubidium concentration in water materials for the international measurement evaluation programme (IMEP) using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.J.Anal. At. Spectrom. 12(5), 567. 

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