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Interlaboratory study of novel halogenated flame retardants: INTERFLAB

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Abstract

Flame retardants (FRs) have come under considerable scientific and public scrutiny over the past decade. A lack of reference materials and standardized analytical methods has resulted in questions regarding the variation of measurements from different studies. We evaluated this variation by performing an international interlaboratory study assessing analytical capabilities as well as the accuracy and precision of results for a range of flame retardants (International Flame Retardant Laboratory Study, INTERFLAB). Thirteen international research laboratories participated in a blind interlaboratory comparison of 24 FRs. Results demonstrate good precision within replicates of test mixtures from individual laboratories, but problematic accuracy for several FRs and laboratories. Large ranges in the values reported for decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE), tris(1,3-dichloropropyl)phosphate (TDCIPP), tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) (>50 % relative standard deviations among measured values) and large deviations from the reference values (>25 % bias in accuracy) suggest potential problems for comparability of results. DBDPE, HBCD, and TBBPA had significantly poorer accuracy and precision, suggesting that current analytical methods are not providing reliable results for these FRs.

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Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to all participating laboratories for their willingness to join in this initiative. We thank Brock Chittim and others at Wellington Laboratories Inc. for supplying and shipping test mixtures to all participating laboratories. We also thank Eric Reiner and Victoria Tkatcheva at the Ontario Ministry of Environment for providing expertise on interlaboratory comparison studies. This work was supported by the European Union 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement #295138 (INTERFLAME project), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the project “Employment of Best Young Scientists for International Cooperation Empowerment” (CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0037) co-financed from the European Social Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic.

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Author notes

  1. Emma Goosey

    Present address: University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment (RECETOX), Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 62500, Brno, Czech Republic

    Lisa Melymuk

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B1, Canada

    Emma Goosey & Miriam L. Diamond

  3. Wellington Laboratories Inc., 345 Southgate Drive, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 3M5, Canada

    Nicole Riddell

Authors
  1. Lisa Melymuk
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  2. Emma Goosey
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  3. Nicole Riddell
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  4. Miriam L. Diamond
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miriam L. Diamond.

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Melymuk, L., Goosey, E., Riddell, N. et al. Interlaboratory study of novel halogenated flame retardants: INTERFLAB. Anal Bioanal Chem 407, 6759–6769 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-8843-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-015-8843-7

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