 | Reference materials for environmental studies |
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IRMM provides certified reference materials for calibration and method
validation. By using the reference materials laboratories can demonstrate that
their measurement results are traceable to stated references, like the SI
units. This means that they are globally comparable, and the need to duplicate
analyses already done by others is reduced.
Environmental samples represent a huge variety of different combinations of
substances to be analysed and the matrices in which they are embedded. The
IRMM reference materials development team works to widen the range available
to the analytical chemists.
 | Water |
The new EU Water Framework Directive (98/83/EC) sets out the objectives for
remediating polluted waters and for quality standards for protecting water.
Furthermore, a list of chemical substances of greatest concerns, the priority
substances, for European coastal and surface waters has been established. IRMM
develops suitable water-based reference materials for substances on the
priority list together with the JRC Institute for Environment and
Sustainability.
IRMM catalogue has already a number of fresh water, ground water and sea water
reference materials certified for calcium, magnesium, nitrate, phosphate and
trace elements like Cd, Pb and Hg. These can be used in water laboratories in
their quality assurance programmes. The water based materials for the
hydrosphere are complemented by sediments from lakes, rivers, estuarine and
coastal zones certified for total and extractable trace elements,
organometallic species (tributyltin, dibutyltin, methylmercury), polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls.
| Soil and sewage sludge |
Sustainable primary production depends to a large extent on the natural
fertility of soil. It is a vital and largely non-renewable resource.
Contamination, soil erosion, the overall decline in soil quality and the
sealing of soil are major problems across the EU. For testing the interaction
of chemicals with different types of soils IRMM has developed a suite of
reference soils (EUROSOILS) to estimate the fate of agrochemicals in soil.
Other soil samples offered by IRMM relate to more traditional analytes such as
total and extractable major and trace elements (Cd, Pb, Hg) as well as
polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furanes in
different types of soil, sewage sludge of domestic and industrial origin and
sludge amended soil.
| Air quality |
Air quality can be assessed by measuring gases (e.g. SO2, NOx
, ozone) or by trapping gaseous substances and particulate matter on
adsorbents or filters. Dioxins and furans in fly ash, heavy metals in aerosol
particulate matter, BTX-aromatic compounds and chlorinated hydrocarbons
adsorbed on resins are examples of reference materials developed at IRMM for
air quality and occupational health monitoring. Primary isotopic gas standards
for measurements requiring high accuracy (CO2, SF6) are
also developed.
| New materials |
Besides the more traditional analytes with ecotoxicological relevance such as
heavy metals and persistent organochlorine pollutants, the fate of e.g.
endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, chloroalkanes, drug
residues in the environment is moving into the focus of the competent
authorities in the Member States. IRMM will extend its environmental reference
material programme to cover those substances and supply the measurement
community with high quality materials certified for the 'novel' pollutants.
Reference materials
catalogue
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Last Update 10/02/2006
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