Abstract

This report summarises the results of the participation of the Laboratory of Organic Analytical Chemistry, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in an international interlaboratory comparison study on the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in human milk, human blood cow's milk and fish. The round robin study was organised by WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen. Qualified were the RIVM methods for PCDD/Fs in human milk, human blood and fish and for PCBs including the indicator PCBs, mono ortho PCBs and planar PCBs in human milk. Not qualified were the determination of PCDD/Fs in cow's milk due to a penalty for missing data and for PCBs in cow's milk and fish due to an insufficient agreement with the median values of the study. There was considerable critism on the statistical methods used. These methods will be peer reviewed and modified accordingly as wel as resulting possible changes in qualification results will be implemented.