European organizers of external quality assessment / proficiency testing schemes related to occupational and environmental medicine

Información del proyecto

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: SMT4987522

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de inicio 1 Enero 1999

Fecha de finalización 30 Junio 2002

Financiado con arreglo a

• Specific research and technological development programme in the field of standards, measurements and testing, 1994-1998

Coste total

Sin datos

Aportación de la UE

Sin datos

Coordinado por

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY
United Kingdom

Objetivo

The Network Participants have:
- Proposed quality specifications for measurement of lead in blood and aluminium in serum and will be applying these to a comparison of analytical performance by laboratories throughout the EU;
-Identified variations in the implementation of EU legislation and considered the implications of these on analytical quality specifications and the organisation of EQA schemes;
-Documented the repertoires and other management information of laboratories participating in the EQA schemes;
-Prepared an audit of the organisational and managerial practices within the EQA schemes to identify those areas of common practice and those where mutual recognition would be possible;
-Proposed a mechanism to facilitate harmonisation among schemes and to enable the establishment of new cross-national EQA activities;
-Developed a culture that is now able to embrace metrological concepts and is seeking to (i) similarly educate scheme participants (ii) apply these to the organisation of EQA schemes;
-Submitted one paper for publication, prepared two others that are almost ready for submission and presented one paper at a scientific conference.
Undue exposure to harmful agents may occur at work or from environmental sources. Measurements of exposure are achieved by determination of the agent involved (or of a metabolite) in an appropriate specimen (urine, blood). Such measurements are also necessary to the follow-up of incidents of overt toxicity. Biological monitoring is an essential activity and is undertaken in many laboratories throughout the EU. As the determination of accurate results is crucial it is important that properly validated methods are used and that independent assessments of performance (external quality assessment, EQA) are undertaken. However, it has been demonstrated that different EQA schemes have the potential to give conflicting conclusions, even from the same raw data. EQA organisers have identified topics for closer collaboration within a Thematic Network to resolve these disparities and to promote improvements in analytical performance for biological monitoring.

Objectives
The objectives of this Thematic Network are:
- to harmonise the goals of individual schemes with respect to setting common standards for laboratory performance, and the provision of mutual support;
- to undertake programmes of education and training for laboratories involved in occupational and/or environmental medicine.

Work programme
1) Develop standards of performance for the measurement of lead and aluminium to meet national and EU requirements;
2) Coordinate national activities in gathering information from participants, such as workload, methodologies, changes in performance and to prepare reports on current status temporal changes and best practice;
3) Initiate collaborative work and avoid duplication of effort among different schemes;
4) Education and training: Create a European database of laboratories and activities in occupational and environmental medicine; agree a list of common themes for inclusion in formal training course/technical workshops; prepare educational and/or training literature and publications etc. for distance learning programmes; organise meetings to discuss immediate problems and topics of interest.

State of progress
This project starts in January 1999.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• ciencias naturales › informática y ciencias de la información › base de datos
• ciencias naturales › ciencias químicas › química inorgánica › metales de postransición

Programa(s)

• FP4-SMT - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of standards, measurements and testing, 1994-1998

Tema(s)

• 0202 - European measurement and testing infrastructure

Convocatoria de propuestas

Datos no disponibles

Régimen de financiación

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinador

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: GU2 7XH GUILDFORD ; Reino Unido
• Coste total: Sin datos

Participantes (9)

Arbejdsmiljoinstitutet

Dinamarca

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Lerso Parkalle ; 2100 Kobenhavn O
• Coste total: Sin datos

Association Européenne des Métaux - Eurométaux

Bélgica

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Avenue de Broqueville ; 1150 Bruxelles
• Coste total: Sin datos

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health

Finlandia

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Arinatie ; 00370 Helsinki
• Coste total: Sin datos

Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo

España

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: S/N,La Dinamita ; 48903 Baracaldo
• Coste total: Sin datos

Istituto Superiore di Sanitá

Italia

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Viale Regina Elena ; 00161 Roma
• Coste total: Sin datos

SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Bélgica

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Rue Juliette Wytsman 14 ; 1050 BRUXELLES
• Coste total: Sin datos

Streekziekenhuis Koningin Beatrix

Países Bajos

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Beatrixpark ; 7100 GG Winterswijk
• Coste total: Sin datos

UNIVERSITY OF ERLANGEN-NUREMBERG

Alemania

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: 25-29,Schillerstrasse 25-29 ; 91054 ERLANGEN
• Coste total: Sin datos

Université de Nantes

Francia

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Rue Gaston Veil ; 44035 Nantes
• Coste total: Sin datos