QUACHA: European-wide training on quality assurance for chemical analysis

Many decisions taken nowadays based on the results of chemical analyses, de aling e.g. with product quality assessment, environmental management, medic al diagnosis, etc. All these decisions have a direct impact on either indus try or society and have to rely on a good quality background. Quality contr ol and quality assurance lire in principle well known to modern laboratorie s (either commercial or with national responsibilities) which are often acc redited in various analytical sectors. However, there is an enormous gap in the transfer of knowledge to smaller laboratories. Training actions ale, t herefore, urgently needed especially for analysts working in tine laborator ies. This paper describes a European-wide initiative carried out under the umbrella of the EC Standards, Measurements and Testing programme.