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Recent Activities of the EURL/NRL Network for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food

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Lecture from Alexander Schächtele, EURL for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food

14 Dec 2015
Lois Manton-O'Byrne, PhD
Executive Editor

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The organization of proficiency tests is one of the important tasks of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food. In 2014 a proficiency test on determination of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in cod liver and fish liver oil was performed. Additionally, participants were asked to analyze selected brominated flame retardants described in Commission Recommendation 2014/118/EU. 93 participants reported results for PCDD/Fs and/or PCBs and 27 participants reported results for at least one of the listed brominated flame retardants.

Another important topic of the network of the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) and the National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) of the European member states is the development of guidance document for the estimation of measurement uncertainty for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) quantified by isotope dilution-mass spectrometry based techniques, in particular PCDD/Fs and PCBs. Within this working group approaches based on the bottom-up and top-down approach are discussed and developed. The measurement uncertainty is also closely linked with the estimation of the limit of quantification. In cooperation with the three other EURLs working in the field of contaminants (EURL for heavy metals in feed and food, EURL for mycotoxins and EURL for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) a guidance document is developed.

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Recent Activities of the EURL/NRL Network for Dioxins and PCBs in Feed and Food