TRENDS IN SURFACE-WATER ANALYSIS - CONCLUSIONS OF THE WORKSHOP

The analysis of surface water for the determination of toxic elements and organic compounds is nowadays required in the frame of some EC Dir ectives for the monitoring of the quality of the environment. The need for a good quality control of surface water analysis has led the Meas urements and Testing Programme (BCR) to organize series of interlabora tory exercise over the last ten years. The projects included the prepa ration of certified reference materials for the improvement and qualit y assurance of these determinations. However, the control of the quali ty of critical analytical steps such as e.g. sample collection and sto rage has not been considered in classical interlaboratory studies. It was deemed necessary to critically examine the present state of the ar t of surface water analysis, to investigate where limitations exist an d to discuss the trends that can be expected in a near future. The wor kshop on Trends in Surface Water Analysis held in Lisbon allowed to ma ke recommendations based on round-table discussions. The participants in these discussions are listed in the Annex.