Production of a new certified reference material for trace elements in Antarctic krill

Under the coordination of the Istituto Superiore di anita (ISS), Rome, Ital y, and of the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements of the Joi nt Research Centre, European Commission (EC-JRC-IRMM), Geel, Belgium, a new certified reference material (CRM) for trace elements based on Antarctic k rill was produced. The instrumental techniques resorted to in the certifica tion project included flame, hydride generation, cold vapour and electrothe rmal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (with and without Zeeman ba ckground correction), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectromet ry, quadrupole and magnetic sector high resolution inductively coupled plas ma mass spectrometry and neutron activation analysis. The certified values established for selected trace elements are as follows (in mug g(-1) +/- th e 95% confidence interval): As, 5.02 +/- 0.40; Cd, 0.73 +/- 0.06; Co, 0.110 +/- 0.010; Cu, 65.2 +/- 2.3; Fe, 56.6 +/- 2.3; Mn, +/- 4.12 +/- 0.10; Ni, 1.28 +/- 0.12; Pb, 1.11 +/- 0.09; Se, 7.37 +/- 1.13; and Zn, 66.0 +/- 2.0. Each value was obtained by combining data of several laboratories provided that four or more independent methods of analysis were used. For several ot her elements (Ag, Al, Br, Ca, Cl, Cr, Hg, I, K, Mg, Na, Rb, Sc, Sn, Sr and V) informative concentrations were given whenever the above criteria could not be respected.