CERTIFICATION REPORT The certification of the mass fraction and mass concentration of total Hg in seawater: ERM®-CA400
This report describes the production of ERM-CA400, a seawater material certified for the mass concentration and mass fraction (calculated from the (certified) density) of total Hg. The material was produced following ISO Guide 34:2009 [[i]].
Approximately 500 litres of surface seawater were collected from The Netherlands and transferred into a pre-cleaned polyester tank. Upon arrival at the JRC Geel, the water was acidified and passed first through a 0.8 µm , then through a 0.45 µm filter into another pre-cleaned tank. After filtration, the water was spiked with mercury to achieve a final concentration of total Hg of approximately 20 ng/L. Aliquots of 100 mL were dispensed into borosilicate glass ampoules which were flame sealed and sterilised by gamma ray irradiation.
Between ampoule-homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed following ISO Guide 35:2006 [[ii]].
The material was characterised by means of an inter-comparison among laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025 for Hg and by a primary method of measurement, confirmed by independent results for density. Technically invalid results were removed, but no outlier was eliminated on statistical grounds only.
Uncertainties of the certified values were calculated in compliance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) [[iii]] and include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, instability and characterisation.
The material is intended for the quality control and assessment of method performance. As any reference material, it can also be used for control charts or validation studies. The CRM is available as a set of three borosilicate glass ampoules each containing 100 mL of acidified seawater. The minimum amount of sample to be used is 10 g.
The CRM was accepted as European Reference Material (ERM®) after peer evaluation by the partners of the European Reference Materials consortium.
SANCHEZ ROMERO Raquel;
VAHCIC Mitja;
SNELL James;
OOSTRA Albert;
EMTEBORG Hakan;
LINSINGER Thomas;
HELD Andrea;
2016-12-19
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC104299
978-92-79-64103-9,
1831-9424,
EUR 28264 EN,
OP LA-NA-28264-EN-N,
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC104299,
10.2787/988251,
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