Objective
Various sorts of water (e.g. bathing water, tap water) are frequently monitored for their microbiological quality. False analytical results may have economic and public health consequences such as: unnecessary delay in taking repaired drinking water system back into use, unnecessary corrective actions after tests with false positive results, unnecessary condemnation of water sources for e.g. food industry, unnecessary constraints on the trade of mineral water or shellfish, unnecessary condemnation of bathing beaches, illness caused by undetected microbes in polluted water, etc. Intercomparisons have indicated that 5-15 % of all results are incorrect. Stability is the main difficulty in developing microbiological RM's. There is evidence that good stability can be achieved by isolating microbes in milk in gelatine capsules.
STATUS
Five intercomparisons have been conducted to study the stability of the materials during transport, reconstitution of lethally stressed micro flora and the various official tests for total coli and thermo tolerant coliforms. E. coli, E. Faecum and E. cloacae have been studied. The certification of E. faecum is foreseen for 1992.
Funding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
3720 BA Bilthoven
Netherlands
Participants (27)
11521 Athens 618
3704 HE Zeist
GL55 6LD Chipping Campden
2000 Frederiksberg
8 Dublin
1699 Lisboa
14195 Berlin
14195 Berlin
31003 Pamplona
1000 Lisboa
1960 Luxembourg
K115 3NB Weybridge
75015 Paris
75015 Paris
75126 Uppsala
1800 Vevey
8071 CJ Nunspeet
NW9 5HT London
53115 Bonn
9090 Melle
1870 Frederiksberg C
6708 PD Wageningen
4 Dublin
25006 Lleida
9000 Gent
40064 Ozzano Dell'emilia Bologna
33100 Udine