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Success Stories - Success Stories - ORMS-2
February 28, 2006 — Ottawa, Ontario
A new CRM called ORMS-2, a river water spiked with inorganic mercury, has been released by Chemical Metrology. In Canada, NSERC recently contributed 12.6 million dollars to create a Collaborative Mercury Research Network (COMERN). The aim of this group of investigators, composed largely of University and Government agencies, is to provide an integrated research effort to improve our general understanding of how mercury is transmitted and accumulates in the ecosystem. Likewise, the USEPA has released a draft version of its Mercury Research Strategy. The purpose of this document is to guide the EPA mercury research program by identifying key scientific questions and the research programs that can be expected to provide the answers. Both of these programs require the measurement of Hg at ambient levels in environmental samples and it is hoped ORMS-2 will assist in assuring the quality of these measurements. |  |
It is also significant that this is the first chemical metrology CRM that included uncertainty components in compliance with the GUM .Uncertainty factors associated with homogeneity and stability as well as the uncertainty related to the characterization of the analyte were included in the final expanded uncertainty.
ORMS-2 is intended for the calibration of instruments and evaluation of methods for the determination of mercury. It is especially applicable to the new EPA performance based method that supports water quality monitoring programs authorized under the US Clean Water Act. These measurement criteria are required to conform with the Water Quality Guidelines for the Great Lakes System of 1.3 ng/L Hg.
ORMS-2 compliments the suite of NRC sediment CRMs certified for total inorganic Hg, and marine biological tissues certified for inorganic and methylmercury content.
