EUROSOILS - A set of CRMs for comparability of soil-measurements

An overview is given on the development, properties, and application of the European reference soil set the EUROSOILS. The introduction of this new ty pe of reference material has, for the first time, enabled comparison of dat a related to the interaction of chemical substances with the soil, and thus , improvement of soil quality. Because of their unforeseen success, a secon d generation of EUROSOILS had been produced and the range of application ex tended to other types of measurement related to the soil matrix - soil pH, carbon and nitrogen content, particle-size distribution and cation-exchange capacity. Other fields of application include analytical method developmen t or testing of soil decontamination techniques. On the basis of the success of the EUROSOIL concept and the need for a comm on basis for comparison of soil-related data in Europe and beyond, the Euro pean Commission's Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements decide d to certify several properties of the second EUROSOIL-generation, thus est ablishing a common QA/QC system for soil-related data. The main features of the EUROSOILS, their origin, the necessary field and laboratory work, and some interesting background information about the project are presented in this paper.