Mussel Reference Material Preparation Proposal as a Quality Assurance Tool for Brazilian Seashore Biomonitoring

Abstract

Analytical measurement results may affect economical, political and environmental protection decisions. Therefore, there is a growing demand for quality assurance of such results. The use of certified reference materials, CRMs, is a simple and efficient way to validate analytical methods and to keep them under control. However, CRMs are expensive and usually obtained abroad, which makes their use prohibitive for a large number of Brazilian chemical laboratories. This paper presents a proposal for the preparation of a mussel reference material using the Perna perna species. This material will be used in biomonitoring studies of the Brazilian Seashore. The various aspects of the preparation such as sampling, processing, physical and chemical characterization are presented. Preliminary results for the concentration of elements such as As, Br, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Na, Se and Zn determined by INAA and Cd and Hg determined by AAS, are also presented.