Metrological assurance of dioxin measurements. A certified reference material for measuring the dioxin mass fraction in animal fat

Abstract

The paper presents information on the development of a new certified reference material (CRM) for mass fraction of dioxins in animal fat, with established metrological traceability. A procedure for preparing and certifying CRM material is given. The GC–LRMS method with isotopic dilution was used as an analytical method for establishing certified characteristics. The uncertainties due to inhomogeneity and instability of the CRM material were estimated in order to account for their contribution to the uncertainty of certified values. In addition, the results of interlaboratory comparisons (ILC) for an experimental batch of the developed CRM are presented. Measurement results provided by ILC participants are shown to be in good agreement with the certified characteristics of the CRM. The certified values of dioxin mass fractions (PCDF group) in the CRM material are established to vary from 1 to 1000 ng / kg, with the relative expanded uncertainty ranging from 10 to 20 %.