proficiency testing contaminants in fish, shellfish and crustacea

Biota

Proficiency tests

Participation is open to all laboratories. The type of sample is tissue from different species of fish (muscle and liver), shellfish and shrimp.



Determinand Group Exercise
Metals (e.g. Cd and Hg) BT1
Chlorinated organics (e.g. CB153 and dieldrin) BT2
PAHs in biota (e.g. anthracene and pyrene) BT4
Organotins (e.g. TBT and TPhT) BT8
Brominated Flame Retardants (e.g. BDE47 and HBCD) BT9
PFASs (e.g. PFO and PFOA) BT10
Tetrodotoxin (TTX) DE16
Microplastics DE17

General information

  • Biota test materials are collected from contaminated waters, seawater and coastal sites in Europe like e.g. the North Sea, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Depending on the type of exercise, biota samples are prepared from mussel tissue, fish tissue, fish liver or shrimp.
  • Biota samples are either natural contaminated or spiked with a selection of determinands where relevant.
  • Biota tissue samples contain ± 50 gram of homogenized tissue.
  • Biota samples are autoclaved and have been shown to be stable over a number of years when stored at room temperature.
  • Reports contain all data reported under strict confidentiality, including Z-score plots and method information of the methods used.

How to participate

Complete the application form.

Fees

Fees depend on your choice of programme and your preferred number of rounds per year.

Web shop

Samples of previous proficiency tests are sold as reference materials. Available materials can be selected and ordered in our webshop. Participants are entitled to a discount.