CERTIFICATION REPORT The certification of the mass fraction of pesticides in cucumber: ERM-BC403

This report describes the production of ERM®-BC403, which is a cucumber material certified for the mass fraction of selected pesticides. This material was produced following ISO Guide 34:2009 and is certified in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006. Cucumbers from a biodynamic farm were used as base material. The cucumbers were transformed into slurry, freeze-dried and cryogenically milled. The obtained product was partially reconstituted with water and a separate portion was spiked with a pesticide mixture. The contaminated portion was then mixed with the rest of the material, homogenised and accurately dispensed into 100-ml vials. A second freeze-drying cycle was applied with the vials placed directly in the freeze-dryer. Prior to analysis the resulting sponge of dry cucumber must be reconstituted with a specific volume of water. Between-unit homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006 [ ]. The material was characterised by an interlaboratory comparison of laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025. Technically invalid results were removed but no outliers were eliminated on statistical grounds only. Uncertainties of the certified values were calculated in accordance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) [ ] and include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, instability and characterisation. The material is intended for the quality control / assessment of method performance. As with any reference material, it can be used for establishing control charts or used for validation of analytical methods. The CRM is available in sets of two glass vials containing each approximately 3.2 g of dried material. The vials were sealed under an atmosphere of argon. The minimum amount of sample to be used is 2.5 g of the reconstituted material.JRC.F.6-Reference Material

CERTIFICATION REPORT: The certification of the mass fraction of pesticides in soya: ERM®-BC700

This report describes the production of ERM-BC700, which is a soya material certified for the mass fraction of selected pesticides. This material was produced following ISO Guide 34:2009 [ ] and is certified in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006. Soya beans (Glycine max) originating from Uruguay were sprayed with 11 pesticides in solution. The beans were air dried, cryo-milled and homogenised. Between unit-homogeneity was quantified and stability during dispatch and storage were assessed in accordance with ISO Guide 35:2006. The material was characterised by an interlaboratory comparison of laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025. Technically invalid results were removed but no outlier was eliminated on statistical grounds only. Uncertainties of the certified values were calculated in accordance with the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) and include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, instability and characterisation. The material is intended for the quality control / assessment of method performance. As with any reference material, it can be used for establishing control charts or validation studies. The CRM is available in glass vials containing 32 g of cryo-milled soya powder which were sealed under an atmosphere of nitrogen. The minimum amount of sample to be used is 2 gJRC.F.6-Reference Material

(Anti-)deuteron production in pp collisions at 1as=13TeV

The study of (anti-)deuteron production in pp collisions has proven to be a powerful tool to investigate the formation mechanism of loosely bound states in high-energy hadronic collisions. In this paper the production of (anti-)deuterons is studied as a function of the charged particle multiplicity in inelastic pp collisions at s=13 TeV using the ALICE experiment. Thanks to the large number of accumulated minimum bias events, it has been possible to measure (anti-)deuteron production in pp collisions up to the same charged particle multiplicity (d Nch/ d \u3b7 3c 26) as measured in p\u2013Pb collisions at similar centre-of-mass energies. Within the uncertainties, the deuteron yield in pp collisions resembles the one in p\u2013Pb interactions, suggesting a common formation mechanism behind the production of light nuclei in hadronic interactions. In this context the measurements are compared with the expectations of coalescence and statistical hadronisation models (SHM)

Toxicity of Single and Mixed Contaminants in Seawater Measured with Acute Toxicity Bioassays

Different types of organic pollutants commonly detected in seawater have been evaluated by acute toxicity bioassays. Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, and Selenastrum capricornotum were selected to test toxic effects of individual compounds and mixtures of these compounds, obtaining EC50 values in the range of 0.001 to 28.9 mg/l. In the case of mixtures, synergistic toxic responses were seen for a clear majority of the cases (>60%). Mixtures containing methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) exhibit accelerated processes that result in a change in concentration required to produce a toxic effect; for example, in the case of mixtures containing MTBE and Diuron and Dichlofluanid

Ranking potential impacts of priority and emerging pollutants in urban wastewater through life cycle impact assessment

Contains fulltext : 72203.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)8 p

Accurate determination of selected pesticides in soya beans by liquid chromatography coupled to isotope dilution mass spectrometry

A sensitive, accurate and simple liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry method for the determination of ten selected pesticides in soya beans has been developed and validated The method is intended for use during the characterisation of selected pesticides in a reference material. In this process, high accuracy and appropriate uncertainty levels associated to the analytical measurements are of utmost importance. The analytical procedure is based on sample extraction by the use of a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) extraction and subsequent clean-up of the extract with C18, PSA and Florisil. Analytes were separated on a C18 column using gradient elution with water-methanol / 2.5 mM ammonium acetate mobile phase, and finally identified and quantified by triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in the multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM). Reliable and accurate quantification of the analytes was achieved by means of stable isotope-labelled analogues employed as internal standards (IS) and calibration with pure substance solutions containing both, the isotopically labelled and native compounds. Exceptions were made for thiodicarb and malaoxon where the isotopically labelled congeners were not commercially available at the time of analysis. For the quantification of those compounds methomyl-13C215N and malathion-D10 were used respectively. The method was validated according to the general principles covered by DG SANCO guidelines. However, validation criteria were set more stringently. Mean recoveries at the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) level (five times lower in the case of carbendazim) were in the range of 92-100% with RSDs lower than 7 %. Repeatability and intermediate precision at this level were in the range of 3.9-7.6 % and 1.9-8.7 % respectively. LODs and LOQs were 1.32-6.40 ng g-1 and 4.39-18.16 ng g-1, respectively, in the matrix. The method reliably identifies and quantifies the selected pesticides in soya beans at appropriate uncertainty levels, making it suitable for the characterisation of candidate reference materials.JRC.D.5-Standards for Food Bioscienc

Proficiency test on the determination of pesticide residues in grapes with multi-residue methods

This manuscript presents the results of the International Measurement Evaluation Programme 37 (IMEP-37) study, a proficiency test (PT) which was organized to assess the world-wide performance of food control laboratories on the determination of pesticide residues in grapes. This PT supports the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and animal origin. Eighty-one participants reported results, forty from EU Member States and forty-one from outside the EU. The test item was a grape sample spiked with 20 selected pesticides. The results of the participants were rated with z- and zeta (ζ-) scores in accordance with ISO 13528 and ISO 17043. The standard deviation for the proficiency assessment, σ, of this PT was set at 25 % for the 20 measured pesticides based on previous experience with similar measurands. The results reported to IMEP-37 showed that the participants performed satisfactorily, ranging from 81 % (carbendazim) to 97 % (azoxystrobin, penconazole, pyrimethanil) of the participating laboratories. However, only 30 % of the participants managed to analyse all pesticides satisfactorily. Overall, the performance of the participants in this PT was good but there is room for improvement in the development of multi-residue methods for the simultaneous analysis of a large number of pesticides with an increased accuracy.JRC.D.5-Standards for Food Bioscienc