Dioxins and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Eurofins' very strong position in testing dioxins and POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) enables the Group to offer its clients a unique combination of advantages:

• Exceptionally high sensitivity and precision, safer data and higher quality due to huge investment in R & D over the last decade and very experienced staff.
• Cost-effective expertise in dioxin and POP testing due to the highest throughput in Europe and the resulting economies of scale.
• Ability to guarantee rapid analysis time of less than 5 days.

Eurofins analyses more than 10,000 dioxin samples per year including PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and believes that it is the world market leader in this area.

Broad range of parameters and matrices analysed

The Eurofins Competence Centre on Dioxins and other POPs has combined three leading institutes: GfA, MPU and Oekometric. This team of internationally recognised scientists, experienced engineers and technical assistants works on a worldwide scale. Eurofins offers both measuring services for checking emissions and ambient air and also the analysis of many different matrices, such as food and feed, human samples, plants, air, industrial products, residues, sludge and water.

Regulation Advisory Services (EU, US, Japan)

Due to the hazard POPs pose to man and nature, these substances have been featured in national and international treaties and directives with the aim of minimising and stopping the circulation of such pollutants in the environment or even prohibiting their manufacture and use.

At Eurofins, dioxins are analysed according to accepted European directives and certified procedures or upon request according to Japanese standards (JIS requirements) and American standards (US EPA method).

Our experts are happy to discuss the requirements arising from these directives and advise on how to comply with them.

Brominated and mixed halogenated dioxins

Eurofins developed exceptional competence in the field of measurement and detection of brominated dioxins, mixed halogenated dioxins and brominated flame retardants as a result of years of testing and R&D. The latter are often added in plastic materials and may form brominated dioxins in case of fire accidents. Recent publications highlight the importance of this group of compounds. These ubiquitous toxic trace components, which can affect human health even in concentrations in the nanogram to picogram range (10^-9 - 10^-12 g), are part of the analytical portfolio of the Eurofins Competence Centre on Dioxins and other POPs

Eurofins is the only European company that offers sampling combined with high sensitivity analysis down to the nanogram range (10^-9g) of a broad selection of specific compounds in emission gases as well as in materials. Eurofins is therefore able to increase by a factor of 100 the sensitivity for detecting mixed halogenated dioxins and thus approaching the standard range for chlorinated species.

Quality assurance beyond accreditation

All Eurofins dioxin laboratories are accredited according to the criteria of DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. Important features of the quality of services provided include:

• 15 modern high-resolution mass spectrometry systems
• Use of certified standards and reference materials
• Regular and successful participation in external proficiency tests and inter-laboratory tests, e.g. Folkehelsa (N), KVO inter-laboratory test (D), Quasimeme (NL), FAPAS (UK), UMEA University (S), Certification studies for BCR (EU)
• Active participation in study groups for the development of analysis methods (DIN, CEN)
• Research and own method development
• Advice and support from our specialists with many years of experience
• More than 260 scientific publications and presentations during the last decade

The following table illustrates a selection of substance classes that Eurofins tests:

Contact

For further details please contact one of Eurofins' experts: J Schulte or J Schwietering or your local Eurofins laboratory