Development of certified reference materials accomplished by the Japan society for analytical chemistry

Abstract

The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry (JSAC) has developed various certified reference materials (CRMs) since 1993. CRMs include a wide range of materials: incinerator ash, soil, sediment, river water, plastics, industrial materials, foodstuff and so on. Certified components also include a wide variety, such as dioxins, inorganic elements, or nutrients. The characteristics of JSAC's reference materials are composites, not pure substances nor their solution with a pure solvent. This means that the sample form is a natural material found in usual laboratories. The certifying method consists of preparing analytical samples whose homogeneity is assured at first, interlaboratory comparison testing, statistical evaluation of reports sent from laboratories applying a robust method, and then certification by experts. The harvests of certification work are not only reference materials, but also some new knowledge for analysis, such as gas chromatographic separation of dioxin isomers, and variations of chlorine substitution in PCB during extraction. © 2008 The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry.