The future value and usefulness of a Specimen Banking Programme is dep
endent on the way we select the material to be saved and the way we sa
ve it. If the material consists of non-representative samples or sampl
es from which we cannot produce a set of analytical chemical data that
allows us to make a proper statistical analysis, then the data merely
provides us with anecdotal information. Experience as well as studies
of large data sets have taught us that poor research material gives u
s poor understanding and knowledge, We know in advance that some quest
ions will be important in the future, Of these, spatial and temporal c
hanges in environmental contamination are high on the list. What prior
ities should we set and what kind of selection criteria should we use
to create useful collections in the specimen banks? This paper win dis
cuss some of the qualities samples must possess if they are to be incl
uded in a specimen bank. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.