OLDER NEWS PAGE
| Sept. 2023 | The new program for 2024 is now available. We would like to invite you to register to our 2024 PTs via our Annual Program Page. New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for Consumer Products: 1. Bisphenol A in Textile iis24T50, starting 14 February 2024 (final registration date is 2 February 2024). 2. pH in Textile iis24T49, starting 18 September 2024 (final registration date is 6 September 2024). |
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| April 2023 | We would like to bring the new Proficiency tests in the 2023 program to your attention,
they are open for registration via our Register Page. New PTs in PT-scheme for Oils, Gas and Chemicals: 1. Lubricants and Oils: Special proficiency test for Level of Contamination in Lubricants iis23L15, starting date May 10, 2023 (final registration date April 28, 2023. 2. Fuel Oil: Chemical Species (ASTM D7845) iis23F01P, starting date June 14, 2023 (final registration date June 2, 2023). 3. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO 100%) iis23G09, starting date June 21, 2023 (final registration date June 9, 2023). New PTs in PT-scheme for Consumer Products: 4. Aniline in Textile iis23T38, starting date May 3, 2023 (final registration date April 21, 2023) 5. Total Metals (by digestion), starting date October 4, 2023 (final registration date September 22, 2023) |
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| March 2023 | Proficiency tests for the determination of Pesticides in textiles have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory Studies (iis) since 2004. Unfortunately, for the determination of Pesticides in textile a suitable reference test method, providing the precision data, is not available. As alternative for the evaluation of the Pesticide test results iis had used an estimated target reproducibility calculated with the Horwitz equation. In 2023 iis decided to use the iis PT data gathered from 2007 to 2021 to estimate a more realistic target reproducibility for the determination of Pesticides in Textile. Furthermore, it was decided to use the same target reproducibility for all individual Pesticides. Findings have been described in iis memo 2302. For the memo click here. | |
| May 2022 | Proficiency tests for the determination of AP and APEO in textiles have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory Studies (iis) since 2016. For the determination of AP and APEO in textile test method ISO18254-1 is considered to be the official test method. Regretfully, only one general precision statement is given for APEO at one concentration and which APEO is not mentioned. As alternative for the evaluation of the AP and APEO test results iis had used an estimated target reproducibility calculated with the Horwitz equation based on 5 components. In 2022 iis decided to use the iis PT data gathered from 2016 to 2021 to estimate a more realistic target reproducibility for the determination of AP and APEO in Textile. Furthermore, it was decided to use the same target reproducibility for all individual AP and APEO. Findings have been described in iis memo 2203. For the memo click here. | |
| April 2022 | Proficiency tests for AZO Dyes in Leather/Footwear and Textile have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory since 1997. For the determination of Aromatic Amines derived from AZO colorants test method ISO17234 is considered to be the official test method in Leather/Footwear and for Textile it is test method ISO14362. Unfortunately, only for a few Aromatic Amines precision data are mentioned in these test methods. As alternative for the Aromatic Amines not mentioned in the test methods iis had used an estimated target reproducibility calculated with the Horwitz equation. Unfortunately, this could give a quite strict target value for the reproducibility. Therefore, iis decided to use the iis PT data gathered from 2010 to 2021 to estimate a more realistic target reproducibility for the determination of Aromatic Amines derived from AZO Dyes in Leather/Footwear or in Textile. Furthermore, it was decided to use the same target reproducibly for all Aromatic Amines. Findings have been described in iis memo 2202. For the memo click here. | |
| April 2022 | Proficiency tests for Phthalates in Leather have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory since 2017. Test method ISO16181 (former ISO/TS16181), considered to be the test method for Phthalates in Leather, provides a variety of unclear precision data and therefore it was decided at the start to use iis memo 1701 (Phthalates in Polymer). However, with the progress of the iis PTs of Phthalates in Leather it was noticed that the observed reproducibility for Phthalates in Polymers is on average somewhat better than for Leather. Therefore, it was decided in 2022 to stop using the target reproducibility based on Phthalates in Polymers any longer and to develop a new target reproducibility based on the iis PTs for Phthalates in Leather to estimate a more realistic target variation for Phthalates in Leather. Findings have been described in iis memo 2201. For the memo click here. | |
| October 2021 | The new program for 2022 is now available. We would like to invite you to register to our 2021 (Augustus - December) and 2022 PTs via our Annual Program Page. New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for Oils, Gas and Chemicals: 1. Gases: Refinery Gas (iis22S01R), with starting date January 26, 2022 (final registration date is December 1, 2021). New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for Consumer Products: 2. Aniline in Leather/Footwear iis22A03, with starting date February 2, 2022. 3. Dimethylfumarate (CAS no. 624-49-7) in Textile iis22T04, with starting date March 16, 2022. 4. Chlorinated Benzenes and Toluenes in Textile iis22T07, with starting date September 21, 2022. 5. SCCP in Textile iis22T08, with starting date September 21, 2022. |
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| June 2021 | The Institute for Interlaboratory Studies proudly announces that two new PTs have been added to our Autumn 2021 program. A new PT is organized for the analysis of Chlorinated Organic Compounds (COC) like Chlorinated Benzenes and Toluenes in Textile. Another new PT is organized for the analysis of Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCP) in Textile. Please find the registration form for both PTs with dispatch date of 6 October 2021 here. |
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| April 2021 | Proficiency tests for Phosphorus Flame Retardants in Polymers have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory since 2014. Participants often report to have used an in house method or a method for textile. Therefore, iis has used the precision of the analytical determination of the migration test described in method EN71-11. This method only gives a relative standard deviation for the repeatability of TCEP and not for other Phosphorus Flame Retardants. After investigation, it was decided to use the iis PT data of all PTs for Phosphorus Flame Retardants in Polymers, gathered since 2014, to estimate a more realistic target variation. For future PTs on Phosphorus Flame Retardants in Polymers iis will use these data to estimate the target variation to be used for the evaluation of the test results. Findings have been described in iis memo 2102. For the memo click here. | |
| October 2020 | The new program for 2021 is now available. We would like to invite you to register to our 2020 (Augustus - December) and 2021 PTs via our Annual Program Page. Please know that up till now we were able to follow our proficiency scheme program and start the round robins/proficiency tests as scheduled. We appreciate the cooperation and communication of our customers to help us to remain on schedule. We hope to continue this in the coming months. Please stay strong and healthy. |
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| May 2020 | With good cooperation and communication with our participants, iis has been able to send out all PTs from the program of the first half year of 2020 during this Covid-19 pandemic, except for the PT on Liquefied Butane. Due to limited storage facilities for gases, this PT will be postponed until iis is able to dispatch the remaining samples of the Natural Gas PT to laboratories that cannot receive them now. Regarding the current PTs, the deadlines are discussed weekly and extended if necessary, depending on the impact of Covid-19 on the participating laboratories. Nevertheless the reported results (even when late) will always be evaluated by iis. We appreciate all communications that we receive from participants about the situation in their laboratory. iis will continue a normal operation as is published in our program as much as possible. We thank our participants for their trust and understanding. |
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| March 2020 | As you are aware, the world is fighting against the Corona virus. The Institute for Interlaboratory Studies is doing her very best to provide the service as much as possible that you are custom to receive from iis. For the health protection of our employees most of them are working from home since mid-March. Only those functions that are needed at the location are doing their duties from the office with precaution measures taken. For our services we are very dependent on the transport over the countries and the possibilities what can be done still. Up till now we were able to follow our proficiency scheme program and to start the round robins/proficiency tests as scheduled. We would appreciate to receive the information whether your laboratory is open or closed. Please know that in case that your laboratory is closed we will keep your samples in stock until your laboratory is open again. Please know that we will always evaluate your test results in case that the final report is issued before you can send us your test results. We hope that this helps to understand what we do to face the crisis. Thank you in advance for your understanding. |
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| November 2019 | The new program for 2020 is now available. New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for Fuels: 1. Gasoil Premium iis20G02, Cetane Number and DCN iis20G02CN and Total Contamination iis20G02TC, starting 18 March 2020. 2. Gasoline Premium iis20B03, DVPE iis20B03, DVPE and RON and MON iis20B03RON, starting 8 April 2020. 3. Gasoline RON 91 iis20B06R91 together with Gasoline (winter) iis20B06EN, starting 16 September 2020. New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for Consumer Products: 4. Azo Dyes in Finger Paint EN71-7 iis20V04, starting 20 May 2020. 5. NDELA in Finger Paint EN71-7/12 iis20V05, starting 20 May 2020. 6. PAA from Polyamide Kitchenware iis20X20, starting 20 May 2020. 7. Heavy Metals by Perspiration in Leather iis20A14, starting 21 October 2020. New by iis: PTs for Cosmetics and Personal Care: 1. PAH in Tattoo Ink iis20H01, starting 29 January 2020. 2. Metals in Tattoo Ink iis20H02, starting 29 January 2020. 3. Azo Dyes in Tattoo Ink iis20H03, starting 29 January 2020. 4. Trace metals in Mouthwash and Toothpaste, iis20H04, starting 23 September 2020. 5. Trace metals in Body Cream and Foundation, iis20H05, starting 23 September 2020. 6. Preservatives in Toothpaste (Triclosan), iis20H06, starting 4 November 2020. 7. Preservatives in Bodylotion (CMIT/MIT), iis20H07A, starting 4 November 2020. 8. Preservatives in Body Milk (Parabens), iis20H07B, starting 4 November 2020. |
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| May 2019 | Proficiency tests for Gasoil have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory Studies since 1994. Due to the lack of a literature reproducibility for Calculated Cetane Index (CCI) Four Variables, no z-scores could be calculated. Fortunately, from previous iis PTs the calculated reproducibilities for CCI by Four Variable Equation in Gasoil are available and a reproducibility based on this data could be determined. Therefore, it was decided to use the PT data from ten PTs to determine an iis reproducibility for the parameter CCI Four Variables in Gasoil. The findings have been described in memo 1904. For the memo, click here. | |
| March 2019 | Proficiency tests for Formaldehyde in Textile have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory since 2008. Since no reliable precision data can be estimated from known reference test methods, calculated reproducibilities were compared with reproducibilities estimated from the strict Horwitz equation. After investigation, it was decided to use the iis PT data gathered since 2008, to estimate a more realistic target variation. For future PTs on Formaldehyde in Textile iis will use these data to estimate the target variation to be used for the evaluation of the test results. Findings have been described in iis memo 1901. For the memo click here. | |
| Nov. 2018 | Due to lack of participants for the PT on Ethanol (Denaturated) iis18C12 that was planned to start November 7, it was decided to cancel this PT. | |
| Oct. 2018 | The protocol used by iis to set up PTs has been updated in June 2018 and published in October 2018. The new version of the protocol can be downloaded here. | |
| Sept. 2018 | iis would like to announce that Mr. R.G. Visser has retired from August 2018. We thank him for all that he has done for and contributed to the Institute of Interlaboratory Studies. We wish Rob all the best for his retirement. His successor is Anja Noordman-de Neef, who has been responsible for the management of iis from January 2018. | |
| August 2018 | The new program for August 2018 - December 2019 is now available. New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for: 1. RON 91 and RON 98 on Spark Ignition Engine Fuel, iis19B02A91 and iis19B02B98, starting 13 March 2019. 2. Phthalates in Textile, iis19A03, starting 13 February 2019. 3. SCCP in Leather, iis19A07, starting 6 March 2019. New by iis: PTs for Cosmetics and Personal Care in the planned PT scheme for: 4. PAH in Tattoo Ink, iis18H01 and iis19H03, starting 19 September 2018 and 18 September 2019. 5. Trace metals in Mouthwash and Toothpaste, iis18H02 and iis19H04, starting 24 October 2018 and 23 October 2019. 6. Triclosan in Toothpaste, iis18H03 and iis19H05, starting 24 October 2018 and 23 October 2019. 7. CMI and MI in Body Lotion, iis18H04 and iis19H06, starting 24 October 2018 and 23 October 2019. 8. Trace metals in Body Cream and Foundation, iis19H01, starting 16 January 2019. 9. Preservative in Body Milk, iis19H02, starting 16 January 2019. |
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| May 2018 | Due to lack of participants for the PT on Mechanical and Physical properties EN71-1 iis18M01 and the PT on Incense iis18W01 that were planned to start May 9, it was decided to cancel these PTs. | |
| April 2018 | Due to lack of participants for the PT on Cetane number on B100 iis18G02CN, that was planned to start April 11, it was decided to cancel this PT. For interested laboratories, there is an alternative PT (Cetane Number on B100 iis18G06CN), that will start in September 2018 | |
| March 2018 | A detailed manual for the results entry website www.kmpd.co.uk/sgs-iis was published. The manual can be downloaded here | |
| Febr. 2018 | The Institute for Interlaboratory Studies organizes PTs on Overall and Specific migration on food contact materials since 2012. During the evaluation of the PT test results it became clear that the interpretation of (the text of) the Standardized Test Methods as well as the text of the regulatory documents is not easy and does have a negative effect on the comparability of the test results of different laboratories. Therefore, it was decided to prepare a white paper on this subject to give more transparency of the available documents and thus to improve the quality of migration test results. The white paper can be found here | |
| Dec. 2017 | A participant in the PTs on transformer oil suggested that the our interpretation of the reproducibility of EN60156:95 for Breakdown Voltage may be incorrect. The precision statement of EN60156 is not straighforward and can be interpreted in different ways. Therefore, an investigation was started. The conclusions from this investigation can be here | |
| Dec. 2017 | The certification of a new MEOH reference material was finished recently. The previous MEOH reference material has been sold out since 2005. The certified values are all mentioned on the certificate. The new reference material can be ordered here. | |
| Nov. 2017 | A new PT for analysis of Cyclohexane (iis18X01) is organised on request of several participating laboratories in the regular PT program. Please find the registration form here. | |
| Sept. 2017 | The scopes of the two different PTs on biodiesel B100 (ASTM and EN) will be merged in 2018. This means that there no longer will be a difference between the two 2018 PTs on B100. The test scope of each PT will be based on the EN test scope as well as the ASTM test scope. | |
| August 2017 | The biannual PT on Avgas (Aviation gasoline) has been (re)added to the 2018 PT program. The ID is iis18B05 and it will start 21st March 2018. | |
| July 2017 | Proficiency tests for Phthalates in plastic have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory since 2001. Due to the lack of standard test methods for the determination of Phthalates in plastic, calculated reproducibilities were compared with reproducibilities estimated from the strict Horwitz equation. After investigation, it was decided to use the iis PT data gathered since 2010, to estimate a more realistic target variation. For future PTs on Phthalates in plastic iis will use these data to estimate the target variation to be used for the evaluation of the test results. For the memo click here. | |
| June 2017 | The new program for August 2017 - December 2018 is now available. New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for: 1. Orthophenylphenol (OPP) in leather, iis18A07OPP, starting 4 April 2018 2. Incense, iis18W01, starting 9 May 2018 3. For several rounds, the scope is extended with more components (for instant: Per-&Polyfluorinated Compounds, which was PFOA&PFOS) 4. A special round for Jet Fuel JFTOT (iis17J02JF), starting 23 August 2017 5. Lubricating Grease (iis17L13 and iis18L08), starting 6 September 2017 6. Liquefied Propane, Sulphur components (iis17S03S and iis18S03), is planned to start at 4 October 2017 and 3 October 2018. 7. Ethanol-denaturated (iis17C20 and iis18C12) is planned to start at 8 November 2017 and 7 November 2018. 8. Turbine Oil – fresh (iis18L04) is planned to start 25 April 2017. |
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| April 2017 | A new PT for lubricating grease (iis17L13) is organised on request of several participating laboratories in the regular PT program. Please find the scope and the registration form here. | |
| March 2017 | The protocol used by iis to set up PTs has been updated in March 2017. The new version of the protocol can be downloaded here. | |
| Jan. 2017 | The certification of a new MEG reference material was finished recently. The previous MEG reference material has been sold out since February 2016. The new reference material is a fibre grade Mono Ethylene Glycol. The certified values are all mentioned on the certificate. The new reference material can be ordered here. | |
| June 2016 | The new program for August 2016 - December 2017 is now available. New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for: 1. PFOA/PFOS in textile, iis17A04, starting 8 March 2017 2. Bisphenol-A (BPA) acc. to EN71-10/11, iis17V04, starting 15 November 2017 3. Ad.Blue - 32% Urea solution, iis17G04, starting 17 May 2017 - The PT on Magnetic flux index acc. to EN71-1 was cancelled last month, but has been re-intoduced under ID iis17M01, starting 10 May 2017. - For tests Cetane Number (Engine-test) & Derived Cetane Number additional samples (to be ordered separately) will also be made available in the following round robins: Biodiesel B100 - EN (iis16G05CN & iis17G06CN) Biodiesel B100 – ASTM (iis17G02CN) Gasoil - EN (iis17G01CN) - For the Oxidation Stability test an additional sample (to be ordered separately) will be made available in the Biodiesel B100 - EN and Gasoil - EN round robins of 2016 & 2017: iis16G05OX, iis17G01OX & iis17G06OX. - Starting November 2016 the annual PTs on Fuel Oil are now organized twice a year; in May and November. - Starting March 2017 the annual PT on Gear oil is split up into two separate PTs; Gear Oil - fresh (iis17L01) and Gear Oil - used (iis17L02). - For the testing of Metals: Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Si, Sn, Ti, V & Zn an additional sample (so be ordered separately) will be made available in the used Engine Oil round robin of 2017: iis17L06M. - In the PTs on Crude Oil 2016 & 2017 a special sample for testing Hg will be added. |
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| May 2016 | The planned proficiency test on Magnetic Flux Index on toys has been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories to participate in this PT. | |
| April 2016 | The proficiency test data of the determination 'Level of Contamination' of the last PT on used Hydraulic Fluid iis15L07 and on used Turbine Oil iis15L03 were used to explore the possibility of the evaluation of ISO classes. These tentative evaluations were compared to the earlier PT evaluations based on particles per ml. You can download the document here. | |
| Mar. 2016 | The details of the PT on specific migration on food contact materials iis16P11SM are known: the migration of metals will be determined, using total immersion with 3% acetic acid solution as food simulant | |
| Feb. 2016 | Proficiency tests for Ortho-phenyl phenol (OPP) and Pentachlorophenol (PCP) have been organized by the Institute for Interlaboratory since 2004. Due to the lack of relevant standard test methods for the determination of OPP, calculated reproducebilities were compared with reproducibilities estimated from the Horwitz equation (RSDR = 2 x c-0.15) until now. For Pentachlorophenol (PCP), both existing methods (LFGB 82.02-8 and ISO17070:2006, the latter method superseding DIN53313:1996 and DIN14494:2003), mention identical precision data for leather only. These precision data for leather are in full agreement with the Horwitz equation and were used in the calculation of the z-scores due to lack of a better alternative. For the memo click here. | |
| Feb. 2016 | The MEG reference material MEG-170299 regretfully is sold out and can no longer be supplied. | |
| Jan. 2016 |
The planned proficiency tests on TCEP / ADA in polymer iis16P03 has been cancelled.
Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories to participate in this PT.
The good news is that a new PT will be organized(planned start date 11th May 2016) on magnetic in/as toys: magnetic flux index acc. EN71-1/ASTM F963. In case your laboratory is interested, please return the completed the attached registration form to us. |
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| Dec. 2015 |
Our bank details have changed. Please see our
new details on our contact page here.
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| Nov. 2015 | The planned proficiency tests on pesticides in textile iis15A06 has been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories to participate in this PT. | |
| Sept. 2015 | CEN/TC 19 has again issued a letter on the applicability of the total contamination test EN12662 for diesel, diesel/FAME blends and FAME. See the letter here. The previous letter of 2012 can be found here | |
| Aug. 2015 | Also the participants in the PT schemes on Consumer Products are now requested to enter the test results via the data entry portal https://www.kpmd.co.uk/sgs-iis-cts/ . The participants in those PTs will receive an e-mail with login and password. | |
| July 2015 |
The new program for August 2015 - December 2016 is now available.
New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for: 1. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) on leather, iis16A06, starting 23 March 2016 2. TCEP&ADA in polymer, iis16P03, starting 20 January 2016 3. APEO on textile, iis16A04, starting 9 March 2016 - The Flame retardants PT is divided into two: Brominated Flame retardants (August) and Phosphorus Flame retardants (January). - In the PT on Allergenic disperse Dyes iis16A03 a special sample for Carcinogenic dyestuffs will be added. - The biannual PTs on Biodiesel B100 are split up into an ASTM-specification based round robin (April) and a EN-specification based round robin (September). - For the compatibility test (ASTM D4740) an additional sample (to be ordered separately) will be made available in the Fuel Oil round robin of 2016: iis16F01C |
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| Feb. 2015 | The iis website as been refurbished and upgraded so that it now can be used from a mobil telephone or a tablet PC with touch screen. For more ease of use a sitemap has been added. Please let us know when you encounter a problem during the use of our website. | |
| Aug. 2014 | To easify the reporting of OGC (Oil, Gas and Chemicals) test results an internet based database at web address https://www.kpmd.co.uk/sgs-iis/ is introduced for all petroleum and petrochemical PTs. The participants in those PTs will receive an e-mail with login and password. When successful, the database will also be used for the entry of results of the PTs on consumer products. | |
| July 2014 |
The new program for August 2014 - December 2015 is now available.
New PTs are present in the planned PT-scheme for: 1. Bitumen (iis14F02), starting 19 November 2014 2. fresh Hydraulic Oil (iis14L20), starting 29 October 2014 3. used Transformer Oil (iis14L30), starting 5 November 2014 4. fresh Gear Oil (iis15L01), starting 11 March 2015 5. ethyl acetate and butyl acetate (iis15C05 and iis15C06), both starting 25 March 2015 - For RON/MON testing, separate samples will be prepared and these have to be ordered separately (in 2014 free of charges when ordered together with the regular gasoline sample for all other tests). These laboratories will receive one liter of gasoline for RON/MON testing only. - For the tests bromine number and p-value an additional sample (to be ordered separately) will be made available in the Methanol round robin of 2015: iis15F01BR |
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| July 2014 | In the last Gasoline PT iis14B01ASTM bimodal distributions were observed for the distillation test results IBP, 10% evaporated, 50% evaporated and 70% evaporated. A questionnaire was sent to all participating laboratories to find the cause for the bimodal distributions. The response on the questionnaire was high (42%). The conclusions drawn from the answers received are given in the summary report. | |
| May 2014 | The certification of a new reference material was finished recently. The new reference material is a regular ULS diesel containing approx. 5% FAME. The certified values are all mentioned on the certificate. It was prepared because from the previous batch of similar diesel reference material, only few units are in stock. The new reference material can be ordered here. | |
| May 2014 | The implementation of an internet based "results reporting" platform has started with the round robin on Aviation Gasoline (iis14B02). Since then several other round robins were made available to report test results via the new data entry website. The laboratories that participate in the rounds robins on base oil, turbine oil, E10 gasoline, E85 gasoline, and B10 diesel did receive an e-mail containing a login and a password. When no severe problems will be encountered, also the other round robins will be available through the new data entry website during the next months. | |
| April 2014 | The protocol used for the organization of interlaboratory studies was recently updated. This new version (3.3) is available here. A hard copy is available on request. | |
| Jan. 2014 | The planned proficiency tests on UV327 (2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(5-chlorobenzotriazol-2-yl)phenol) and UV328 (2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-ditertpentylphenol), both from the recent updated SVHC list, has been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation in this new PT. | |
| Nov. 2013 | A new PT for chromium VI in leather (iis14X01) is organised on request of several participating laboratories in the regular PT program. Please find the registration form here. | |
| July 2013 | After issue of the final report iis13A01T on AZO dyes in textile, one participant suggested that the use of EN14362-1: 2012 may be the cause of the large spread in test results as part of the laboratories using this method may have chosen to perform the chlorobenzene extraction as part of the combined method, while others may have chosen not to do the chlorobenzene extraction. Regretfully it was not requested to report this during the PT. Therefore a questionnaire was sent to all 165 participants on 12th June 2013. The evaluation of the received responses on the questionnaires can be downloaded here. | |
| June 2013 | After issue of the final report iis13P01 on phthalates in plastics, a number of complaints were received. Upon investigation, it was decided to change the evaluation of DBP in sample #13044 and to issue a corrected report. The corrected report can be downloaded here. | |
| May 2013 | The planned proficiency test iis13C05 on Methyl Acrylate has been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation in this round. | |
| Febr. 2013 | Due to problems with the release of the Greasesamples for iis13G01EN, it was decided to postpone the start of this PT iis13G01EN. However, the PT on natural gas iis13S01M will start twee weeks earlier than planned. | |
| Jan. 2013 | A new Test Method D7704 for Total Aldehydes in Styrene Monomer was developed by ASTM. To determine the reproducibility of this Potentiometric Titration method, ASTM is searching for laboratories that are willing to participate in the method evaluating interlaboratory study. For more information look here or contact Chris van Gaans (chris.vangaans@shell.com). | |
| Nov. 2012 | On request of a participant a new and extra round robin is started. This round robin on used turbine oil will start 20 March 2013. The planned test scope contains Flash Point, Total acidity, Base Number, Acid Number, Colour, Density, Kin. viscosity @40C and @100C, Viscosity Index, Level of contamination, Water, Water Separability and Foaming Characteristics. | |
| August 2012 | The paper report forms will no longer always be sent together with all PT samples. This in order to reduce the amount of paper used by iis. The electronic Word documents for reporting the test results are available on the iis web site for download (see below table). | |
| July 2012 | The planned PT iis11S04E was cancelled as it appeared to be impossible to organise a global PT on ethylene. The problems with sample transport to several countries due to customs and legal regulations appear to be too high to be overcome. And thus the number of laboratories that will participate (because these laboratories are located in countries for which these problems are absent) is too small to allow a meaningful PT. | |
| June 2012 | The new program for August 2012 - December 2013 is now available. The new program does contain several new PTs: Caustic Soda, Base Oil, Global migration and Specific Migration on food contact materials. Also the recently started new PT on PFOA/PFOS in plastics is present. Regretfully the 2013 PTs on textiles had to be planned provisionally and possibly the number of samples to be used, as well as the participation will be limited because of lack of suitable materials. | |
| May 2012 | The start of the proficiency test iis12S02B on Liquefied Butane has been delayed. Regretfully the preparation of the batch of gas cylinders took some more time than expected. As soon as the new dispatch date is known, the participants will receive a message on this. | |
| Mar. 2012 | CEN/TC 19 has issued a letter on the applicability of the total contamination test EN12662 for FAME. See the letter here. | |
| Feb. 2012 | The start of the proficiency test iis12S01M on Natural Gas has been delayed. Regretfully the preparation of the batch of gas cylinders took some more time than expected. As soon as the new dispatch date is known, the participants will receive a message on this. | |
| Jan. 2012 | The planned proficiency test iis12C02 on ETBE has been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories to participate. | |
| Dec. 2011 | The number of interested laboratories for participation in the PT on AZO dyes in leather iis12A01L has reached its limit due to the limited amount of available samples. The enrollment for this PT therefore is closed per direct and no registrations for this PT can be accepted anymore. The start of the proficiency test iis11S04E for Ethylene, originally set at 2 December 2011, has been delayed. Regretfully during the preparation of this PT, unexpected delivery problems were encountered. The actual starting date is yet unknown. | |
| Nov. 2011 | The samples for the -one month delayed- proficiency test iis11S03P for liquefied propane will be dispatched to the 30 participating laboratories on 10 and 11 November. | |
| Oct. 2011 | The start of the proficiency test iis11S03P for liquefied propane, originally set at 12 October 2011, has been delayed. Regretfully during the preparation of the samples to be used in this PT, unexpected problems were encountered. The actual dispatch date is yet unknown. | |
| Aug. 2011 | After the issue of the final report iis11C04 on benzene one of the participating laboratories questioned the assigned value for purity (99.9046 %M/M) in July 2011. An investigation revealed that the assigned values for GC-impurities and GC-purity as reported in our report iis11C04 of June 2011 indeed may be incorrect due to the unexpected presence of nonane in the sample. The full results and the conclusions of this investigation can be downloaded here. | |
| June 2011 | The new program for August 2011 - December 2012 is now available. The new program does contain one new PT on Ethylene. Also the recently started PT on Avgas LL100 (aviation gasoline) is present again. | |
| Mar. 2011 | After the issue of the final report iis10C12a on ethanol (Fuel- / Bio-) one of the participating laboratories did send us an e-mail on the evaluation of iso amylalcohol in February 2011. It wondered why the sum of 2- and 3-methyl-1-butanol was used and wondered whether this was correct. An investigation revealed that erratically the sum of 2- and 3-methyl-1-butanol was used by iis for evaluation of the iso amyl test results. The full results and the conclusions of this investigation can be downloaded here and the corrected PT report here. | |
| Feb. 2011 | After the issue of the final report iis10G05 on B100 (biodiesel) one of the participating laboratories questioned the assigned value for free glycerol. An investigation revealed that the claim of this laboratory was correct. Consequently a significant number of laboratories that participated in PT iis10G05 did report a false positive test result for free glycerol. The results and the conclusions of this investigation can be downloaded here. | |
| Jan. 2011 | The planned proficiency tests on propylene oxide iis11C01 and on phenol iis11C03 have both been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation in these two round robins. | |
| Oct. 2010 | It was decided to withdraw the accreditation for two petrochemicals: MTBE and Acetone. This decision was made after the RvA decision to increase the requirement for the minimum number of tests necessary to determine homogeneity of a batch of sub samples from 4 to 8. Due to this increase the testing costs for these small (20-25 participating laboratories) proficiency tests doubled. In our opinion the laboratory community will be better served with an affordable proficiency test that is not accredited than with a very expensive, although accredited proficiency test. | |
| Sept. 2010 | The planned proficiency test on polyetherpolyols iis10C11 has been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation in this round robin. | |
| June 2010 | The new program for August 2010 - December 2011 is now available. The new program does contain one new PT on aviation gasoline. Also the recently started PT on Migration of certain element (EN71-3) is present again. | |
| May 2010 | A participant pointed us to an error in the final report iis10A03T for AZO dyes in textile. Therefore a revised report was prepared that can be downloaded here. | |
| Mar. 2010 | The start of the proficiency test iis10S01M for Natural Gas, originally set at 3 March 2010, has been postponed until 23 March 2010. Regretfully the samples to be used in this PT were not yet available on 26 February 2010 and some more time is needed to verify the suitability of the samples. | |
| Feb. 2010 | A participant pointed us to an error in the final report iis09R02X for Crude Assay. Therefore three pages of the report were corrected. The erratum with the corrected pages 22, 25 and 29 can be downloaded here. | |
| Feb. 2010 | The protocol used by iis for the organization of interlaboratory studies was recently updated. This new version (3.2) is available from this website. A hard copy is available on request. | |
| Jan. 2010 | Due to the Chinese New Year holidays (February 6-21, 2010) many Chinese laboratories requested us to postpone the deadline for reporting results for the upcoming 4 PTs. Therefore the deadlines for the PTs on total lead in paint, migration of elements, pesticides in textile and OPP/PCP in textile are extended with one week to March 5 for pesticides and OPP/PCP and to March 19 for total lead in paint and migration of elements. | |
| Dec. 2009 |
Please note the changes and additions for the PT program of spring 2010:
- The planned PT for total lead in paint (iis10V01) is postponed from 13 January 2010 to 10 February 2010.
- A new PT (iis10V02) is organised on request of several participating laboratories in the regular PT program for consumer goods (RoHS). The migration of metals in paint is evaluated in this new PT in accordance with EN71-3. - The PT on AZO dyes in leather is back in the iis PT program. Last year this PT had to be cancelled due to lack of suitable material. But assisted by a participating laboratory, this PT (iis10A03L) is now again in the spring program. |
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| Oct. 2009 | During the recent accreditation audit discussions with the technical auditor about the statistics used, have led to several adjustments of the iis quality system. The implications for the laboratories that participate in the iis PT scheme are neglectable. | |
| Sept. 2009 | A new employee Mr. Dennis van Leent has started as assistant program co-ordinator. The increase of personnel was necessary to maintain the high quality level of iis. | |
| Aug. 2009 | The interest in the recently issued iis PT program for 2009/2010 is overwhelming and the maximum number of participants has already been reached for two rounds, being the Particle Size Distribution iis09J02PS and the Grease(automotive diesel) iis09G05. Therefore no further registrations can be accepted for these two proficiency tests. Another round for Particle Size Distribution on Jet Fuel A1 will be organized in March 2010 and for Greasein February 2010. | |
| July 2009 | The regular annual Proficiency Test for food grade ethanol is expanded. After receiving several requests to introduce spirit and liquor samples into our PT program, it was decided to provide support for this request. See here for more information on this update. | |
| June 2009 | The new program for August 2009 - December 2010 is now available. The new program does contain one new PT: Flame retardants in plastics. Also the recently started new PTs on Total Lead in Paint, on Methane (Natural Gas), and on liquefied propane and liquefied butane are present. In the new program regretfully no AZO dyes in leather PT was planned because of lack of suitable materials. Also, it was decided not to continue the PTs on Pygas and Pure Plant Oil (PPO), due to lack of interest for these PTs. | |
| May 2009 | After issue of the final report on phthalates in plastic it was discovered that this report contained many incorrect z-scores and assigned values. Although the discrepancies are rather small, it was decided to issue a corrected report to replace the original report. You can download the revised report from this website. We apologize for any inconveniences caused by the erratic values in the original report. | |
| April 2009 | After a successful testing and evaluation period, the new 500 L mixing tank was upgraded with an electric valve controlled by a Sartorius balance. In this way the amount of sample added to each (dark brown coloured) bottle can be set to a fixed weight and the chance to overfill a bottle is minimized. | |
| Feb. 2009 | The proficiency test iis09A03L for AZO Dyes in leather has been cancelled. Regretfully, this time it appeared to be impossible to get a suitable homogeneous leather material to investigate. We are now looking for other possibilities to obtain such materials. Please do contact us urgently in the case that you feel that you may be able to assist us in the preparation or in the purchase of any suitable leather materials. | |
| Feb. 2009 | The planned proficiency test iis09C04 for polyols has been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation in this round. In stead a new proficiency test will start. The samples for the lead in paint PT will be dispatched to the 74 participating laboratories March 18. | |
| Jan. 2009 | The planned round robin iis09GIP for evaluation of IP 387 on Greasehas been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation in this round. And therefore it was decided to cancel this round robin. | |
| Jan. 2009 | Starting this month gasoline, Greaseand kerosene samples may be prepared using the new 500 L mixing tank that was constructed and tested end 2008. This will make it possible to prepare larger amounts of identical samples than before, when 200 L was the maximum sample amount to be used for preparation. | |
| Dec. 2008 | At this moment new proficiency test (round robins) are being developed for lead in paint, flame retardants in plastics and composition of natural gas, liquefied propane and liquefied butane. More information on these new rounds is available on request. | |
| Dec. 2008 | The planned round robins iis09B01 on Pygas and iis09C01 on MDI have been cancelled. Regretfully it was not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation in each of these rounds. And therefore it was decided to cancel both round robins. | |
| Nov. 2008 | The currently running round robin iis08L03DGA on DGA analysis of transformer oil has been cancelled. Regretfully it appeared that the quality of the samples may have been influenced negatively by the transport. And therefore it was decided to cancel this round robin. As alternative it is proposed to organise a new interlaboratory study early 2009 using another type of syringes. More information is available on request. | |
| Nov. 2008 | The protocol used by iis for the organization of interlaboratory studies was recently updated. This new version (3.1) is available from this webiste. A hard copy is available on request. | |
| Nov. 2008 | The quality of the determinations of metals and phthalates in plastics has been investigated. The results of this investigation has been published in the international journal 'Accreditation and Quality Assurance'. | |
| July 2008 | Due to increasing fuel prices, the sample transport costs have equally increased over the last months. For example: in July 2007, TNT charged us about 14% fuel surcharge. Today, July 2008, this surcharge is 26%! And each month the courier firms revise the fuel surcharge. Until this date we have absorbed these extra costs. But now we are forced to charge these extra costs to our customers. All offered prices will be calculated on the basis of current transport rates, excluding fuel surcharge. The actual costs will be calculated at the time of dispatch with the actual fuel surcharge at that time. | |
| June 2008 | The new program for August 2008 - June 2009 is now available. In the new program, on request of several participants some new products will be investigated: Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate(MDI), Phenol and Methylmetacrylate (MMA). It was decided not to repeat the PTs on Acetone, MPG, Isopropanol, Acetic Acid, MTBE/ETBE and Butylacrylate, but to postpone these to next year's program (2009/2010). In the new program additional samples (spiked samples and/or samples for special analysis) are listed as separate rounds. The necessary registration forms can be downloaded from this website. Alternatively one can register via the Electronic PT Registration Form present in our website. | |
| April 2008 | The planned round robin iis08G04 on PPO (Pure Plant Oil) has been cancelled. Regretfully it appeared not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation. And therefore it was decided to cancel this round robin. | |
| Feb. 2008 | During the execution of the proficiency test iis07A05 on perspiration of heavy metals in textile, the results for chromium as reported by the group in this proficiency test appeared to be divided bimodally. Investigation after this phenomenae learned that various liquor ratios were used by the participating laboratories. See here for more details. Together with the final report of the PT, a questionnaire was sent to the participating laboratories. They were asked for their opinion on the necessary action to be taken for the next PT. In total 68 questionnaires were sent out. After one month 20 completed questionnaires had been returned. See this memo for an evaluation of the returned questionnaires. | |
| Jan. 2008 | During the October 2007 round robin on Grease(ultra low sulfur B5 diesel), a candidate reference material for various determinations was tested by the participating laboratories. The reported results from 137 laboratories were sufficient to certify successfully the ultra low sulfur B5 diesel for the following determinations: Cloud Point, Density, Monoaromatics, Sulfur, Water. This reference material can be purchased via this website. | |
| Dec. 2007 | The planned round robin iis08B01 on Pygas has been cancelled. Regretfully it appeared not possible to find a sufficient number of laboratories that were interested in participation. And therefore it was decided to cancel this round robin. | |
| Dec. 2007 | Due to problems with sample availability several round robins started not as planned. Therefore also the deadlines for reporting of those rounds were extended. The deadline for reporting results for the Transformer Oil round was extended to January 4, 2008 and also the deadlines for reporting results for the Crude Oil and Condensate rounds were extended to January 4, 2008. | |
| Nov. 2007 | During the September 2007 round robin on Jet Fuel A1, a candidate reference material for various Flash Point determinations was tested by the participating laboratories. The reported results from 102 laboratories were sufficient to certify successfully the high purity n-decane for the Flash Point determinations by the following Standard Methods: IP170 / ISO13736, ASTM D56 and ASTM 3828 / IP303, which is equivalent to IP523 / ISO 3679. This reference material can be purchased via this website. | |
| Oct. 2007 | The results of the proficiency test on the determination of Chromium 6+ in plastics are remarkable. For this PT, lead chromate was spiked to PVC to a Chromium level of approx. 40 mg/kg. Most laboratories were able to measure this using a total chromium determination (average total chromium content is 33.8 mg/kg). But for the Chromium 6+ only very low test results were reported (average 1.3 mg/kg). Only one laboratory was able to report 28 mg/kg Chromium 6+. This laboratory used THF to dissolve the PVC sample. See the report for more details. | |
| Sept. 2007 | The increasing interest from the laboratory community in proficiency testing has resulted in 101 participants in the current proficiency test for the determination of metals in plastics. | |
| August 2007 | During the registrations of the new PT programme, it was noticed that two round IDs were incorrect. The ID for the gasoline round that will start September 26 should be iis07B04 and not iis07B03 (which is the ID of the biogasoline round of may 2007). The ID for the metals in plastics round, that will start August 22, was iis07P02 on the paper form that was sent by post, while it was iis07P03 on the internet. It was decided to use iis07P03 as ID for this round. | |
| July 2007 | The starting date of the round robin for gas condensate was changed from January 9, 2008 to October 31, 2007. On request of some participants the scope of this new round robin was extended to: Colour Saybolt, Density @ 15oC, distillation (D86), Mercury, Sulphur, Water and Vapour Pressure. | |
| July 2007 | The determination of density in high viscosity Methanol has been problematic during the iis round robins of November 2006 and February 2007, see the reports iis06F02 and iis07F01. Very large spreads were observed and therefore an investigation for the cause of the problems was started. The results of this investigation are now available, see the evaluation and the conclusions. | |
| June 2007 |
To anticipate on the growing market in the P.R. of China and to facilitate the services for Chinese laboratories, iis opened an agency in Shenzhen, China. The Chinese operations will be lead by Mrs. Lucy You, assisted by Ms. Melody Qi. Several documents are already available in Chinese, see here and here . For more information, please contact: 请联系我们，欢迎咨询讨论： 联系人：齐乐(Melody Qi)；尤文献(Lucy You) 邮箱: lucy.you@sgs.com 电话：(+86)755-26390282, 26392411 传真：(+86)755-26390257 地址：深圳南山区妈湾大道8号亿升大厦一楼（518054 ） |
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| June 2007 | The new program for August 2007 - June 2008 is now available. In the new programme, on request of some participants several new products will be investigated: Vinyl Acetate monomer (VAM), Condensate and Pure Plant Oil (PPO). A PT on Crude Oil Assay (D2892) will be organised in November 2007. It was decided not to repeat the PTs on Polyols and Propylene oxide, but to postpone this to next year's programme (2008/2009). | |
| May 2007 | A participant pointed us to an unclearness in the final report iis07B02X for gasoline. The unclearness concerns the reported results for aromatics by GC and by FIA method. As we agree that this issue was not treated very clear in the original report, a new report was issued. The new -revised- report can be downloaded from this website. | |
| April 2007 | The reference materials Naphtha are no longer available. In 1999 iis did prepare two naphtha reference materials. A light naphtha and a heavy naphtha material were certified. In 2004 the lesser stability of the light naphtha forced us to stop sales of this material and now again the stability of the heavy naphtha is the reason that also the remainder of heavy naphtha will be destroyed. From the annual measurements of this material it became clear that the n-paraffine content is slowly decreasing, causing a small increase of the concentrations of the other components. Until April 2007 these changes were still acceptable and well within the uncertainty ranges of the certified components. | |
| March 2007 | The scope of accreditation of iis was updated and increased with four products and several dozens of tests. The accreditation of iis (accreditation number R007, for all details see the RvA website) now also contains the organisation of PTs for acetone, acetic acid, toluene and transformer oil. | |
| Jan. 2007 | In the last round robin report for styrene (see page 39 of the report iis06C08) a bimodal data set was observed for AMS (alpha- methylstyrene) in sample #658. At the time of the finalisation of this report, no explanation was yet found for this fact. However, upon further investigation, a probably cause was found that may explain for the odd data set of AMS (alpha-methylstyrene) in sample #658. See here for more details and the results of the investigations and here for the example chromatogram.. | |
| Dec. 2006 | After having been postponed for several months due to the lack of interested laboratories, the proficiency test on Polyols will start on 28 December 2006. As the reporting date is 2 February 2007, still registrations are accepted. | |
| Nov 2006 | Unfortunately the planned proficiency test on the analyses of Polyether Polyols (iis06C13) had to be postponed with one month. At this moment the number of registered laboratories is still too low (7) to start this round robin. | |
| Oct. 2006 | As the number of laboratories that is participating in the interlaboratory program is constantly increasing, iis decided to attract a new employee. Ms. Wai Leung is being trained since the beginning of this month. She will start as assistant in the sample preparation and the preparation of the reports. | |
| Sept. 2006 | Further investigations of the Bromine Number method by two participating laboratories and the use of a new bump hunting method (recently described by M. Thompson, see the AMC website) on the odd dataset for Bromine Number (see below August news item). provided additional evidence that the majority of the reported results for Bromine Number were incorrect. See for more details here. | |
| August 2006 | The laboratory of Shell Rheinland Refinery pointed us to the presence of 130 ppm Styrene in the benzene sample #0627 that was used in the proficiency test iis06C05. This amount of Styrene is not in agreement with the low Bromine index as reported in the final report of this PT. Investigations revealed that the lowest reported results for Bromine Index are suspect and that the assigned value as mentioned in the final report is too low. See for more details here. | |
| August 2006 | A participant pointed us to an error in the final report iis06G02X for biodiesel 100%FAME. Therefore two pages of the report were corrected. | |
| July 2006 | During the annual stability check of the reference materials it appeared that the light naphtha reference material is not valid anymore. Consequently this material no longer can be supplied. In spite of the precautions taken the amount of n-paraffines has decreased and the concentrations of all other components has increased accordingly. Obviously some light alkanes like propane and butane will have evaporated and escaped from the vials. In the past a similar effect has been observed with the degradation of the MTBE reference material after several years. | |
| June 2006 | The new program for Sep. 2006 - June 2007 is now available. In the new program on request of some participants several new products will be investigated: Polyether polyols in 2006 and Propylene oxide in 2007. The frequency of the Methanol round was increased to twice per year and the sample dispatch dates of several other products was synchronised in order to allow combined sample dispatches and thus facilitate participation in those rounds. | |
| April 2006 | As accredited pt provider iis has evaluated the stability of the materials that are used in the proficiency tests. All materials did proof to be stable and no significant changes are expected during the execution of a regular proficiency test. In april 2006 there has been additional proof of the stability of the packed materials. See more about the stability results | |
| March 2006 | Obviously, the high quality of the iis samples is getting well known as iis was contacted by one of the major international petroleum companies that also runs a round robin scheme for most regular fuels. A contract was signed and starting medio 2006, iis will prepare and despatch the samples for this external round robin scheme, using iis's accredited procedures. | |
| Feb. 2006 | The effectivity of participation in a proficiency test is very much dependend on the follow-up. This follow-up is the responsibility of the participating laboratory. In order to assist the participating laboratories getting maximum efficiency, Rob Visser - manager of iis - wrote some guidelines that were published in an article in the international journal 'Accreditation and Quality Assurance'. | |
| Nov 2005 | Together with the final report of the PT on metals in plastics (iis05P03) a questionnaire was sent to the 66 participants. On 30 November in total 12 participants had returned this questionnaire. The answers of the participants show a very high satisfaction and high appreciation of the iis operations: the only negative answers were given about the number of metals investigated. See more about the results of this investigation here | |
| Oct. 2005 | The Dutch accreditation board RvA did send an audit team to iis for the annual surveillance audit on October 7, 2005. Only three minor non conformities - that can be solved quite easily - were issued. | |
| Sept. 2005 | The registrations for the new program show increased attention from the laboratory community for independent quality control by proficiency testing. In many rounds more laboratories will participate than before (for diesel > 150!) and already 38 laboratories registered for the new round on 5% biodiesel. See also this overview of the growth of iis during the period 1994-2004. | |
| Aug. 2005 | An extra interlaboratory study will be organised on request of a participant. It is a type of round robin that is organised only occasionally. It concerns a Crude Oil Assay (a TBP distillation) and the subsequent determination of density and sulfur content of the collected fractions. All interested laboratories are welcome to participate. On 29 August already 9 laboratories did register for this special round robin. | |
| July 2005 | The opening page of the iis site now explains in six languages the services of iis and that all communications have to be in English due to the large number of participating nationalities (laboratories from 89 countries do participate already). Also a search function was added to the functionalities. | |
| June 2005 | New Proficiency testing program 2005-2006 available. New in this year's program is the proficiency test on biodiesel (diesel containing 5% FAME). This new round was introduced upon requests from several participants. Due to the increase interest in bio-fuels also the scope of the existing proficiency testing programme for ethanol was enlarged with fuel-ethanol. | |
| May 2005 | To facilitate reporting of results via e-mail, the necessary report forms are available for download on this web site. | |
| January 2005 | The accreditation of iis has been renewed and is now valid until January 27, 2008. See www.rva.nl for a copy of the accreditation R007 | |
| Dec 2004 | The Institute for Interlaboratory Studies performed a small investigation on the status of the availability of Measurement Uncertainties in ISO 17025 accredited laboratories. The results of this investigation were remarkable. Even for simple tests like pH or density measurement large differences were observed between laboratories. Without doubt, the lack of a standard method for the estimation of Measurement Uncertainties is the main cause. See more about this investigation here | |
| Nov 2004 | Error in formula in manual Mettler Toledo DE40/50/51. During the methanol round robin of September 2004 abberant observations for Apparent Specific Gravity measurements revealed the presence of an error in a formula in the manual of some Mettler Toledo digital density meters. See here for more details. | |
| Oct 2004 | At the request of many participants Certificates of Participation (see downloadable example certificate of participation) are available as of October 1, 2004. Due to the costs involved in the preparation and dispatch of the certificates, we are forced to charge a small fee of 10 Euros for this additional service. Read more about this service here. | |
| Sep 2004 | In the original final report iis04A02 of the proficiency study on AZO dyes in Textiles, unfortunately several errors occur: 4-chloro-o-toluidine was present in stead of 5-chloro-o-toluidine as a consequence of an error present in the well known textbook of Venkatraman. Also a reference to an analytical method that can identify both o-toluidine isomers was found. On September 7 we issued a correction to the final report that you can download here: addendum report iis04A02_add.pdf | |
| Aug 2004 | Standard Method ASTM D3338 updated D3338-00 Estimation of Net Heat of Combustion of Aviation Fuels was updated to D3338-04 on Aug 9, 2004. Unfortunately, there was no redline version nor a summary of changes in the method. After review of the two methods, the changes are that D2887 was added to the referenced documents and the summary of the method. A new Section 6.3.1 was added which states that D2887 may be used as an alternative to D86 for determining fuel volatility for use in this test. | |
| July 2004 | Ellen van der Burg is appointed as the new technical co-ordinator of iis. She will be responsible for all sample preparations. | |
| June 2004 | New Proficiency testing program 2004-2005 available | |
| May 2004 | IIS moved from Dordrecht to a new location in Spijkenisse (see contact details) | |
| Sep 2002 | Document "Considerations for Various methods for density and specific gravity" finished. | |
| Jul 2002 | New program available & New rounds (Jet Fuel BOCLE, Acetone, Dichloromethane & EDC, Propylene exide, Methoxy propanol acetate, Textile) planned. | |
| Feb 2002 | Reference material GreaseGO-091296 sold out | |
| Feb 2002 | Co-operation between PerkinElmer and I.I.S. started to set up a new proficiency test on Thermal Analysis starting in the mid of 2002. | |
| July 2001 | Participants are positive about the new approach for the rubber/elastomers proficiency test by I.I.S. | |
| July 2001 | New program available & and new rounds (transfatty acids, transformer oil, pygas, sulphuric acid biodiesel and alpha-olefins) are planned | |
| June 2001 | New proficiency tests on rubber/elastomers and olive oil are succesfull. | |
| Mar 2001 | I.I.S. growth continues: more than 850 participants in 60 countries and 23 different rounds per year | |
| Mar 2001 | Co-operation between Unilever and I.I.S. results in new proficiency test on Olive Oil starting March 2001 | |
| Feb 2001 | New proficiency tests on phthalates in PVC, tocopherols in edible oils and metals in edible oils are succesfull | |
| Jan 2001 | Chinese National Laboratory Accreditations (CNLA) recognizes I.I.S. as CNLA approved provider of proficiency testing schemes | |
| Sept 2000 | Rob G. Visser becomes a member of the international advisory board of the journal of Accreditation and Quality Assurance. | |
| Jul 2000 | New program available & New rounds (acetone, rubber, Catalysts&Zeolites, Phtalates in PVC, Metals in edible oil) planned. | |
| Mar 2000 | An European database of Proficiency Testing (PT) Schemes has become available. | |
| Feb 2000 | I.I.S. succesfully gained ILAC G13 accreditation for its PT program. | |
| Jan 2000 | New Low Sulphur Reference Material for '2000' Greaseavailable | |
| Dec '99 | Set up for the proficiency test on trans-fatty acids is available now. | |
| Sept'99 | Co-operation between I.I.S. and Unilever results in proficiency tests on foodstuffs | |
| Sept'99 | I.I.S. organises again a proficiency test for polytechnical students | |
| Jul'99 | Electronic Registration Form available. | |
| Jul'99 | Electronic Reference Materials Ordering Form available | |
| Febr'99 | Quality benchmark organised for producers of MEG | |
| May'99 | Students participate in an I.I.S. / Shell combined proficiency test | |
| Febr'99 | I.I.S. contributes to the Eurachem document "Selection, use and interpretation of proficiency testing (PT) schemes by laboratories" | |
| Febr'99 | New reference material MEG available | |
| Dec'99 | New reference material Naphtha available | |
| Mar'99 | New reference material Methanol available | |
| Feb'99 | I.I.S. protocol for the organisation, statistics and evaluation of interlaboratory studies available. | |
| Dec'98 | Publications in the journal for Quality, Comparability and Reliability in Chemical Measurements | |
| Dec'98 | Specific Gravity Problems in Methanol | |
| Dec'98 | New Reference Material for Methanol available | |
| Nov'98 | A proficiency test to check density calculations | |
| Sept'98 | I.I.S. internet site opens on the world wide web | |
| Sept'98 | Definite set-up of PT "cadmium in plastics" launched and mailing sent out | |
| July'98 | The new annual program of I.I.S. Proficiency Tests is ready. Find here the new Round Robin Program for 1998 - 1999 | |
| Mar'98 | Scope of I.I.S. was broadened. A new Proficiency test focusses on the detection and quantification of a number of prohibited Azo dyes in textile. | |
| Feb'98 | New reference material Jet Fuel available | |
| Nov'97 | A scientific paper on the analysis of trace metals in Condensates and Naphtha using ICP-MS. | |
| Sept'97 | Many laboratories prefer the PAAR digital density analyzer (ASTM D 4052) above the hydrometer (ASTM D1298) for measuring the relative density of petroleum products. For Methanol the difference between ASTM D1298 and D4052 results has high significance". This is the conclusion from 6 studies performed by IIS on jet fuel, Greaseand Methanol matrices. | |
| June'97 | Biased Results for DVPE with Grabner VP. The bench top vapour pressure tester Grabner VP produces results with a bias towards those obtained with the portable tester Grabner VPS. |
