Publication Abstract

The QUASIMEME Laboratory Performance Study of PAH: Summary assessment for the period 1996-1999

R.J. Law, C.A. Kelly and M.D. Nicholson

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants, deriving primarily from anthropogenic inputs. PAH concentrations have been monitored routinely for many years in some national programmes, such as the National Status and Trends programme in the USA, and, more recently, within the UK National Marine Monitoring Programme. Increased interest in these determinands within collaborative international monitoring studies in Europe in recent years has led to their inclusion within the QUASIMEME programme. Performance within the first three rounds of the Laboratory Proficiency Study (LPS) undertaken within the EU-funded QUASIMEME pilot project has been assessed in an earlier report, where data were presented for the analysis of standard solutions and sediment extracts. A summary of previous intercomparison studies concerning PAH in marine samples was also given. In this paper we outline progress within the subsequent subscription phase of the QUASIMEME LPS during the period 1996-1999, concerning the analysis of PAH in sediment and biological tissue samples. Suggested developments for the future are also described.

Reference:

R.J. Law, C.A. Kelly and M.D. Nicholson, 2000. The QUASIMEME Laboratory Performance Study of PAH: Summary assessment for the period 1996-1999. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 2(5): 517-523.