Article | REF: P240 V1

Non-nuclear reference materials

Authors: Philippe QUEVAUVILLER, Eddie MAIER

Publication date: March 10, 2001

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AUTHORS

  • Philippe QUEVAUVILLER

  • Eddie MAIER: Scientific executives at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research

 INTRODUCTION

Fair and reliable measurements, whether physical, chemical or biological, are essential to the smooth running of any modern society. Without such measurements, industries can hardly ensure quality production, trade is disrupted by conflicts, healthcare becomes empirical and legislation (e.g. concerning the environment, worker protection, common agricultural policy, etc.) cannot be properly implemented. The regulations in force (laws, standards, directives) are designed to harmonize measurements and technical specifications; they do not, however, free us from the technical difficulties at the root of measurement errors, and laboratories therefore need tools to check the validity of their methods and results. Quality systems are based on guides or standards (e.g. the Guide to Good Laboratory Practice, ISO 9000, ISO 14000, ISO 17025 and EN 45000, etc.). These systems rely on internal and external validation of laboratories and measurement methods. Within this framework, the availability of reference materials is one of the cornerstones of quality control: certified reference materials are used to validate the accuracy of analytical methods, while non-certified reference materials are used, on the one hand, for method development and, on the other, to validate the reproducibility of methods within the framework of interlaboratory testing (including proficiency testing for accreditation) and the establishment of control charts. These materials exist in all sectors whose activities rely on analytical results (e.g. quality control of manufactured products, environmental and food quality monitoring, medical diagnostics, etc.); they come in the form of pure substances or materials, or in the form of materials representative of natural samples.

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Non-nuclear reference materials