Reference no: EM131337761

Rewrite the given statement in processional way and use scientific words as much as possible.

Statement
The results of analytical measurements play a vital role in our daily lives. Analytical data may be the basis upon which economic, legal or environmental management decisions are made, and they are essential in international trade, environmental protection, safe transportation, law enforcement, consumer safety and the preservation of human health. As an incorrect decision can be extremely costly and detrimental, it is essential that such measurements are accurate, reliable, cost effective and defensible.

In addition, measurements performed by laboratories located worldwide should yield traceable and comparable results. It is now widely recognised that for a laboratory to produce consistently reliable data it must implement an appropriate programme of quality assurance measures. Amongst such measures is the need for the laboratory to demonstrate that its analytical systems are under statistical control, that it uses methods of analysis that are validated, that its results are "fit-for-purpose", and that it participates in proficiency testing exercises [1].

The competence of laboratories is demonstrated in accreditation processes according to the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 [2] and in the frame of accreditation systems, the use of reference materials, both for quality control and proficiency testing, has therefore increased in recent years. Proficiency testing is a method for regularly assessing the accuracy of the analytical data produced by the laboratories of particular measurements. In analytical chemistry, proficiency testing usually comprises the distribution of effectively homogenous portions of the test material to each participant for analysis as an unknown.

The laboratories conduct the test under routine conditions, and report the result to the organiser by a deadline. The results generated in proficiency testing should be used for the purpose of a continuing assessment of the technical competence of the participating laboratories. With the advent of "mutual recognition" on a world wide basis, it is now essential that laboratories participate in proficiency testing schemes that will provide an interpretation and assessment of results which is transparent to the participating laboratory and its "users".

Participation in proficiency testing exercises provides also laboratories with an objective means of assessing and documenting the reliability of the data they are producing. Since the 1960s the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has played an important role assisting laboratories in Member States to improve the quality of their analytical results and their traceability to basic standards. This is accomplished through the provision of matrix reference materials and validated procedures, training in the implementation of quality control, and the evaluation of measurement performance by the organization of proficiency tests and intercomparison exercises.

The Chemistry Unit of the IAEA's Laboratories, located in the vicinity of the village of Seibersdorf (Lower Austria), about 35 km southeast of Vienna, at the premises of the Austrian Research Centre, is actively involved in the production and characterization of matrix reference materials of terrestrial origin, widely used for method and measurement validation and organization of proficiency tests and intercomparison exercises.

The Chemistry Unit is a part of the Physics, Chemistry and Instrumentation Laboratory. Within the frame of the agreement between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Hungarian National Food Investigation Institute, as IAEA collaborating Centre in the field of production and characterisation of matrix reference materials, a proficiency test was organized and conducted by the Chemistry Unit. The proficiency test was addressed to assess the analytical performance of 8 laboratories from Hungary on the determination 137Cs and 210Pb in spiked soil.