QUALITY ASSURANCE QUALITY-CONTROL (QA QC) REGIME IN MARINE POLLUTION MONITORING PROGRAMS - THE GIPME PERSPECTIVE/

A fundamental requirement in collaborative monitoring programmes in ma rine pollution studies is the intercomparability of data obtained from participating laboratories irrespective of the country of origin. Thi s demands that the data be 'true', The production of 'true' data requi res that laboratories adopt good field and laboratory procedures as pa rt and parcel of a Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) regime, T his includes the selection of internationally-validated methodologies for sampling and analysis, mandatory use of reference materials (certi fied reference materials, whenever possible) and participation in 'bli nd' international intercomparison exercises, Under the IOC/UNEP/IMO Pr ogramme of Global Investigation of Pollution in the Marine Environment (GIPME) and its operational, regionally-based Marine Pollution Monito ring System (MARPOLMON), the steadfast pursuit of data of appropriate quality from participating laboratories in different regions of the wo rld ocean is underpinned by the activities of the three GIPME Groups o f Experts-on Methods, Standards and Intercalibration (GEMSI); on Effec ts of Pollutants (GEEP); and on Standards and Reference Materials (GES REM) which is additionally co-sponsored by IAEA. Experience gained by these groups over the years qualify GIPME as a credible mechanism for the generation of precise and accurate data upon which global, regiona l and national regulatory actions for the protection of the coastal an d marine environment can be based.