Measurements and Testing Programme

Boenke a (1997) Activities and current research from the EC Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme (SMT) in the area of food contact materials. Food AdditContamin 14 561-569. 

Quevauviller Ph (1997a) The EC Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme in support of the quality of products and processes. Proc Contr Qual 9 1-6. 

The Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme of the European Commission launched a few years ago a project dealing with the development and, ultimately, the production of air filters realistically exposed to welding dust occurring during stainless steel welding (Christensen et al. 1999). This project resulted in the production and certification of a batch of 1100 filters for the Cr (VI) content (40.16 0.60 pg/g dust) (CRM 545). In addition, the total leachable Cr content ( 39.37 1.30 pg/g dust) was certified as a means to check for total Cr recovery. 

Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme, EU (formerly BCR) Standard Operating Procedure Society of Plastic Engineers (Brookfield, CT)... 

An important and entirely new chapter, Chapter 6, Quality Control in Speciation Studies for Environmental Monitoring by the international authority on the topic, Ph. Quevauviller of the Standards Measurement and Testing Programme of the European Commission, has been added. 

Quevauviller, Ph. and Maier, E.A. (1994) Research trends in the field of environmental analysis - results of scientific workshops held within the measurements and testing programme (BCR). EUR Report, European Commission, Brussels, EN 16000,110 pp. 

Quevauviller, Ph., Maier, E.A. and Griepink, B. (eds) (1995a) Quality Assurance for Environmental Analysis - Method Evaluation Within the Measurements and Testing Programme. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 649 pp. 

European Commission, Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium... 

A similar scheme [126] using the same operationally defined fractions determines 15 elements Be, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Ti, V, and Zn, with recoveries of 83 to 110%. The extractants used for each fraction are shown in Table 5.8. The Measurements and Testing Programme of the European Commission (EC) has a recommended method for sequential extractions. The method distinguishes four fractions, as shown in Table 5.9. 

In order to improve comparability between results of extraction protocols for soil plant-available PTMs obtained by different laboratories, the Measurement and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) of the European Commission has recently proposed two harmonised procedures for extractable Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn in soils on the basis of 0.05 M EDTA (pH 7.0) and 0.43 M acetic acid solutions (Rauret et al, 2001). Moreover, a suitable reference material (BCR-700 organic-rich soil) for these extractions was prepared, which enable the quality of the measurements to be controlled. 

In order to cope with the lack of CRMs for endogenous species, the practice of laboratory internal QC materials is developing. A Laboratory Reference Material (LRM) was prepared from Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) for QC of the selenomethionine determinations. The concentration of selenomethionine was 79.9 p,g g-1. The homogeneity and stability of this candidate CRM passed the relevant tests recommended by the Measurement and Testing Programme [97],... 

Durchfiihrung der Zertifizierung durch European Commission, Measurements and Testing Programme (BCR), Brussel, Belgien... 

Method Evaluation within the Measurements and Testing Programme (BCR) edited by Ph. Quevauviller, E.A. Maier and B. Griepink Volume 18 Instrumental Methods in Food Analysis edited by J.R.J. Par6 and J.M.R. Belanger Volume 19 Trace Determination of Pesticides and their Degradation Products in Water... 

Guidelines for the production and certification of BCR reference materials. Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme, European Commission, 1994, Doc. BCR/48/93, 54. 

The EC-Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) has also developed over years a broad experience in method performance studies. Two examples of such approaches are given below. 

G. Topping, D.E Wells and B. Griepink, Guidelines on Quality A.ssurance for Marine Monitoring, DG XII Measurement and Testing Programme, Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049, Brussels (1992). 

Studies are currently in progress within a project funded by the European Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (SM T) to produce an oyster candidate CRM (BCR 710) certified for arsenobetaine and DMA as well as for organometallic species of Sn and Hg (McSheehy et al. 2003). 

Therefore, recommendation of the Standard Measurement and Testing Programme is to avoid derivatization. 

CRMs are produced by several institutions, including the Standard Measurement and Testing Programme (formerly BRC) of the EU, NIST/USA, NIES/Japan, NRCC/ Canada and lAEA/Austria. Unfortunately, until now only a few CRMs have been made available for speciation. The actual availability of respective CRMs can be obtained from catalogues or home-pages of these institutions, or from commercial CRM distributors. 

To pursue this action within the Third Framework Programme (1990-1994), the European Community has implemented the Measurements and Testing programme which, by addressing the issues highlighted above, aimed to contribute to the harmonization and improvement of methods of measurement and analysis when these methods were not sufficiently accurate and labora-... 

Further efforts are needed to certify MET in sediment. The certification of butyl- and phenyl-tins in both freshwater sediment and mussel material is now contemplated within the EC Measurements and Testing Programme. 

This section is based on a project carried out under the auspices of the Measurements and Testing programme it summarizes a report established by the University of Oviedo which describes the most frequently used methods and techniques for aluminium speciation analysis in water [156]. 

The Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme of the European Commission has contributed enormously to this development of awareness and programmes to improve quality of speciation measurements. One outstanding young scientist in the Commission has made a particular contribution - Dr Philippe Quevauviller. It is therefore a special privilege to write the Foreword for this highly important book. 

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