New reference material enables safe drinking water

The National Measurement Laboratory (NML), at LGC, have launched the LGC6028 hard drinking water – metals (lower levels) certified reference material, with values traceable to the SI (International System of Units).

Elements found in drinking water are regulated via governmental legislation. Limits are set so that water is safe for consumption, drinking water providers have to meet these standards to be allowed to operate.

NML at LGC have many years of experience in developing and producing reference materials of hard and soft drinking water which contain elements needing regulated limits. The LGC6028 reference material categorises 26 elements below regulated parameters at levels labs normally set for routine analysis. The reference material was characterised via tests carried out at the NML at LGC as well as an inter-laboratory study consisting of 26 different UK based and international labs.

Gill Holcombe, who manages the reference material production team, for NML at LGC, stated, “Our reference material has been produced within LGC’s scope of accreditation to ISO 17034. The material will be useful for laboratories as part of their quality assurance system when measuring elements in water at these more challenging low levels.”

Despite high demand for these measurements, there are only a handful of reference materials available with the same range and level of elements.