1. Preface

   • Sergio Caroli
   • Roberto Morabito

   EditorialNotes Pages: 1 - 2

2. Certified reference materials for the quality control of environmental analysis within the standards, measurements and testing programme (formerly BCR)

   • Philippe Quevauviller

   OriginalPaper Pages: 3 - 14

3. Biological and environmental reference materials from the National Institute for Environmental Studies (Japan)

   • Kensaku Okamoto
   • Jun Yoshinaga
   • Masatoshi Morita

   OriginalPaper Pages: 15 - 21

4. Validating automated analytical instruments to meet regulatory and quality standard requirements

   • Maurizio Zanetti
   • Ludwig Huber

   OriginalPaper Pages: 23 - 31

5. The role of reference materials in food analysis

   • Marina Miraglia
   • Carlo Brera

   OriginalPaper Pages: 33 - 37

6. Proficiency testing programmes as a tool in food quality assurance: Overview of Italian experiences

   • Carlo Brera
   • Marina Miraglia

   OriginalPaper Pages: 39 - 43

7. Influence of relative response factor in the determination of organic microcontaminants with isotopically labeled standards

   • Luigi Turrio-Baldassarri
   • Alessandro di Domenico
   • Fabrizio Volpi

   OriginalPaper Pages: 45 - 53

8. European intercomparison study for the determination of fumonisins in maize

   • Angelo Visconti
   • M. Bruno Doko
   • Achim Boenke

   OriginalPaper Pages: 55 - 61

9. Analysis of mercury traces by means of solid sample atomic absorption spectrometry

   • Natalino Salvato
   • Camillo Pirola

   OriginalPaper Pages: 63 - 71

10. Validation and quality control of methylmercury determinations by means of capillary electrophoresis

    • Antonia Maria Carro Diaz
    • R. A. Lorenzo-Ferreira
    • R. Cela-Torrijos

    OriginalPaper Pages: 73 - 86

11. The preparation of biological and environmental reference materials

    • Gerard N. Kramer
    • Jean Pauwels

    OriginalPaper Pages: 87 - 93

12. Interlaboratory exercises to compare analytical method performances

    • Aldo Marchetto
    • Rosario Mosello
    • Herbert Muntau

    OriginalPaper Pages: 95 - 102

13. Mercury species immobilized on sulphydryl cotton: A new candidate reference material for mercury speciation

    • Mariluz L. Mena
    • Cameron W. McLeod

    OriginalPaper Pages: 103 - 108

14. Cr(III) and Cr(VI) speciation measurements in environmental reference materials

    • Kristien Vercoutere
    • Rita Cornelis
    • Philippe Quevauviller

    OriginalPaper Pages: 109 - 117

15. Planning and certification of new multielemental reference materials for research in antarctica

    • Sergio Caroli
    • Oreste Senofonte
    • G. N. Kramer

    OriginalPaper Pages: 119 - 128

16. Analytical quality control: Sampling procedures to detect trace metals in environmental matrices

    • Gabriele Capodaglio
    • Carlo Barbante
    • Paolo Cescon

    OriginalPaper Pages: 129 - 136

17. Environmental thin-layer reference materials of urban particulate matter on filter media

    • Wiesław K. Stankiewicz
    • Zofia A. Mzyk
    • Barbara M. Roter

    OriginalPaper Pages: 137 - 144

18. A new standardized leaching test on stabilized wastes

    • Stefania Balzamo
    • Antonia Marchetti

    OriginalPaper Pages: 145 - 150

19. Accreditation and the need for certified reference materials

    • Wim P. Cofino

    OriginalPaper Pages: 151 - 161

20. A programme to improve the quality of butyltin determinations in environmental matrices

    • Philippe Quevauviller
    • Michel Astruc
    • Bernard Griepink

    OriginalPaper Pages: 163 - 173

21. Analytical quality control for the determination of polychlorobiphenyls in environmental matrices

    • Roger Fuoco
    • Maria Perla Colombini
    • Alessio Ceccarini

    OriginalPaper Pages: 175 - 183

22. Sources of error in the determination of non-ionic surfactants in environmental samples

    • Zenon Lukaszewski
    • Andrzej Szymanski

    OriginalPaper Pages: 185 - 196

23. Statistical design of data handling in environmental analysis

    • László Paksy

    OriginalPaper Pages: 197 - 205

24. The current state of analytical control in Lithuania

    • Vida Vičkačkaite
    • Rolandas Kazlauskas
    • Mudis Šalkauskas

    OriginalPaper Pages: 207 - 215

25. The use of reference materials in the fossil fuels quality control

    • Maurizio Bettinelli
    • Sandro Spezia
    • Gabriele Bizzarri

    OriginalPaper Pages: 217 - 230

26. Correcting measurement errors using reference materials in method validation

    • Jytte Molin Christensen

    OriginalPaper Pages: 231 - 240

27. Uncertainty of atomic absorption spectrometry: Application to the determination of lead in blood

    • Jesper Kristiansen
    • Jytte Molin Christensen
    • Jeanet L. Nielsen

    OriginalPaper Pages: 241 - 249

28. Reference materials and analytical standards to stimulate improved laboratory performance: Experience from the external quality assessment scheme for trace elements in biological samples

    • Andrew Taylor

    OriginalPaper Pages: 251 - 260

29. Monitoring of sources of clinical exposure to nickel

    • Marina Patriarca
    • Gordon S. Fell

    OriginalPaper Pages: 261 - 269

30. Quality control in hair analysis: A systematic study on washing procedures for trace element determinations

    • Paola Borella
    • Sergio Rovesti
    • Annalisa Bargellini

    OriginalPaper Pages: 271 - 280

31. Blood lead monitoring in Italy: Assessment of the quality of results obtained between 1992 and 1994

    • Gino Morisi
    • Marina Patriarca
    • Antonio Menditto

    OriginalPaper Pages: 281 - 290

32. Blood lead and cadmium determination: Results of the Italian external quality assessment scheme

    • Antonio Menditto
    • Marina Patriarca
    • Gino Morisi

    OriginalPaper Pages: 291 - 302

33. Some aspects of quality assessment of the k₀-based method of NAA

    • Borut Smodiš

    OriginalPaper Pages: 303 - 309

34. Determination of selenium in biological materials by means of RNAA and comparison of spectrophotometric and^81mSe radiotracer recovery

    • Vekoslava Stibilj
    • Marjan Dermelj
    • Anthony R. Byrne

    OriginalPaper Pages: 311 - 315

35. Announcement

    Announcement Pages: 317 - 318

36. Conference calendar

    Events Pages: 319 - 322