Analytical reference materials. Part IV. Development and certification of the first great lakes sediment reference material for arsenic, selenium and mercury

Abstract

This paper describes the successful development of the first certified lake sediment reference material for the analysis of arsenic, selenium and mercury for the over-all Quality Assurance Program at the National Water Research Institute, Canada (NWRI). The material provides a new matrix and new concentration levels and it is the only sediment reference material that certifies selenium. The concentration levels of the three elements in a Great Lakes sediment were certified by a multi-laboratory and multi-methodology approach. Three independent methodologies, namely atomic-absorption spectrometry, neutron-activation analysis and inductively coupled argon plasma, were used in the certification process. The recommended values are 23.00 ± 1.84, 1.02 ± 0.17 and 1.09 ± 0.15 µg g^–1 of As, Se and Hg, respectively.