International measurement evaluation programme IMEP

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

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]...

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. 

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. 

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. 

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

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

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