TY - JOUR A1 - Richter, Janine A1 - Elordui-Zapatarietxe, S. A1 - Emteborg, H. A1 - Fettig, Ina A1 - Cabillic, J. A1 - Alasonati, E. A1 - Gantois, F. A1 - Swart, C. A1 - Gokcen, T. A1 - Tunc, M. A1 - Binici, B. A1 - Rodriguez-Cea, A. A1 - Zuliani, T. A1 - Gonzalez Gago, A. A1 - Pröfrock, D. A1 - Nousiainen, M. A1 - Sawal, G. A1 - Buzoianu, M. A1 - Philipp, Rosemarie T1 - An interlaboratory comparison on whole water samples JF - Accreditation and Quality Assurance N2 - The European Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC requires monitoring of organic priority pollutants in so-called whole water samples, i.e. in aqueous nonfiltered samples that contain natural colloidal and suspended particulate matter. Colloids and suspended particles in the liquid phase constitute a challenge for sample homogeneity and stability. Within the joint research project ENV08 ‘‘Traceable measurements for monitoring critical pollutants under the European Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC’’, whole water test materials were developed by spiking defined amounts of aqueous slurries of ultrafinely milled contaminated soil or sediment and aqueous solutions of humic acid into a natural mineral water matrix. This paper presents the results of an European-wide interlaboratory comparison (ILC) using this type of test materials. Target analytes were tributyltin, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the ng/L concentration range. Results of the ILC indicate that the produced materials are sufficiently homogeneous and stable to serve as samples for, e.g. proficiency testing or method validation. To our knowledge, this is the first time that ready-to-use water materials with a defined amount of suspended particulate and colloidal matter have been applied as test samples in an interlaboratory exercise. These samples meet the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. Previous proficiency testing schemes mainly employed filtered water samples fortified with a spike of the target analyte in a water-miscible organic solvent. KW - Water Framework Directive KW - Wasserrahmenrichtlinie KW - Interlaboratory comparison KW - Ringversuch KW - Whole water sample KW - Gesamtwasserprobe PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-015-1190-8 SN - 0949-1775 SN - 1432-0517 VL - 21 IS - 2 SP - 121 EP - 129 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-35730 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Elordui-Zapatarietxe, S. A1 - Fettig, Ina A1 - Richter, Janine A1 - Philipp, Rosemarie A1 - Vanermen, G. A1 - Monteyne, E. A1 - Boom, G. A1 - Emteborg, H. T1 - Preparation and evaluation of sufficiently homogeneous and stable reference materials for priority hazardous substances in whole water JF - Accreditation and Quality Assurance N2 - We have prepared and evaluated three whole water test materials containing eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), six polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and tributyltin (TBT) with respect to homogeneity and short-term stability. The test materials were used as samples in two inter-laboratory comparisons. The materials were composed of natural mineral water and model suspended particulate matter (SPM) containing the target compounds at ng L-1 levels. The expanded uncertainty of the estimated mass concentrations in the final test materials was obtained by combining contributions from the homogeneity, the stability and the model SPM characterization. The whole water materials were sufficiently homogeneous and stable at 4 °C for their intended use. In total, 12 out of 15 investigated target parameters could be assessed to be present with a relative combined expanded uncertainty below 25 %. The outcome of the two interlaboratory comparisons confirmed the good quality of the test materials and the level of uncertainties associated with the estimated mass concentrations. These findings are an important contribution towards the development of whole water matrix reference materials certified for PAH, PBDE and TBT in support of the Water Framework Directive of the European Union. KW - Reference material KW - Referenzmaterial KW - Water Framework Directive KW - Wasserrahmenrichtlinie KW - Whole water sample KW - Gesamtwasserprobe PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-015-1189-1 SN - 0949-1775 SN - 1432-0517 VL - 21 IS - 2 SP - 113 EP - 120 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-35728 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Elordui-Zapatarietxe, S. A1 - Fettig, Ina A1 - Philipp, Rosemarie A1 - Gantois, F. A1 - Lalère, B. A1 - Swart, C. A1 - Petrov, P. A1 - Goenaga-Infante, H. A1 - Vanermen, G. A1 - Boom, G. A1 - Emteborg, H. T1 - Novel concepts for preparation of reference materials as whole water samples for priority substances at nanogram-per-liter level using model suspended particulate matter and humic acids JF - Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry N2 - One of the unresolved issues of the European Water Framework Directive is the unavailability of realistic water reference materials for the organic priority pollutants at low nanogram-per-liter concentrations. In the present study, three different types of ready-to-use water test materials were developed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and tributyltin (TBT) at nanogram-per-liter levels. The first type simulated the dissolved phase in the water and comprised of a solution of humic acids (HA) at 5 mg L-1 dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and a spike of the target compounds. The second type of water sample incorporated the particulate phase in water. To this end, model suspended particulate matter (SPM) with a realistic particle size was produced by jet milling soil and sediments containing known amounts of PAHs, PBDEs and TBT and added as slurry to mineral water. The most complex test materials mimicked 'whole water' consequently containing both phases, the model SPM and the HA solution with the target analytes strongly bound to the SPM. In this paper, the development of concepts, processing of the starting materials, characterisation of the HA and model SPMs as well as results for homogeneity and stability testing of the ready-to-use test materials are described in detail. KW - Slurry KW - PBDE KW - PAH KW - TBT KW - Reference materials KW - Suspended particulate matter KW - Whole water KW - Water Framework Directive PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-014-8349-8 SN - 1618-2642 SN - 1618-2650 VL - 407 IS - 11 SP - 3055 EP - 3067 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-33087 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alasonati, E. A1 - Fettig, I. A1 - Richter, Janine A1 - Philipp, Rosemarie A1 - Milačič, R. A1 - Sčančar, J. A1 - Zuliani, T. A1 - Tunç, M. A1 - Bilsel, M. A1 - Gören, A. A1 - Fisicaro, P. T1 - Towards tributyltin quantification in natural water at the Environmental Quality Standard level required by the Water Framework Directive JF - Talanta N2 - The European Union (EU) has included tributyltin (TBT) and its compounds in the list of priority water pollutants. Quality standards demanded by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) require determination of TBT at so low concentration level that chemical analysis is still difficult and further research is needed to improve the sensitivity, the accuracy and the precision of existing methodologies. Within the frame of a joint research project “Traceable measurements for monitoring critical pollutants under the European Water Framework Directive” in the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), four metrological and designated institutes have developed a primary method to quantify TBT in natural water using liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and species-specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry (SSIDMS). The procedure has been validated at the Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) level (0.2 ng L−1 as cation) and at the WFD-required limit of quantification (LOQ) (0.06 ng L−1 as cation). The LOQ of the methodology was 0.06 ng L−1 and the average measurement uncertainty at the LOQ was 36%, which agreed with WFD requirements. The analytical difficulties of the method, namely the presence of TBT in blanks and the sources of measurement uncertainties, as well as the interlaboratory comparison results are discussed in detail. KW - Tributyltin KW - Water Framework Directive KW - Metrological traceability KW - ICP-MS KW - Isotope dilution PY - 2016 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2016.07.056 SN - 0039-9140 SN - 1873-3573 VL - 160 SP - 499 EP - 511 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-37407 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -