• Monitoring the biological quality of watercourses is part of the monitoring of water bodies.
• As part of this process, laboratories take samples and determine the fauna (benthic invertebrates) and flora (diatoms and macrophytes) in watercourses.
• The results of these samplings and analyses are transcribed in the form of quality indicators that help to assess the ecological status of the water.

As part of your accreditation to ISO 17025 and/or approval, your environmental consultancy must meet the requirements of:

• accreditation guides for water sampling, on-site physico-chemical testing of water and biological analysis of aquatic environments
• approvals issued by Ministries of Health to carry out sampling operations 
• approvals issued by Ministries for the Environment to carry out analyses of aquatic environments under the Environment Code
• the Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EC), which sets targets for preserving aquatic ecosystems.

You must ensure the validity of your results and monitor your performance by comparing it with the results of other laboratories.

Your laboratory is likely to be interested in the following categories of proficiency tests:

• Sampling and in situ measurements
• Biology and ecotoxicology

By taking part in these intercomparisons, your environmental consultancy receives an estimate of its analytical performance, enabling it to improve the quality of its measurements.

AGLAE designs and prepares tailor-made inter-laboratory tests, collaborative studies or samples such as reference materials. These are custom orders from third parties (standardisationn bodies, Ministries, Water Agencies, groups of laboratories, manufacturers, etc.), with the aim to:

• assess the performance of a group of selected laboratories
• characterise an analytical method
• validate an alternative method against a reference method
• validate a method  to standardise it, for example
• qualify staff

A few examples:

• Between 2019 and 2023, AGLAE prepared reference materials for :
  • an industrial company, as part of the management of its staff's qualifications, particularly for nitrate, nitrite and phosphate analysis 
  • a provider of analyses of health products for the determination of metals and sulphates as part of a corrective action following unsatisfactory results from interlaboratory tests
  • an environmental analysis service provider for the validation of microbiological methods prior to application in its laboratory.
• In 2021, AGLAE carried out the statistical processing of data from interlaboratory tests on the analysis of glass and rock wool for a European organisation.

If you are interested in these types of service, please contact us. We look forward to working with you.

Laboratories participating in our intercomparisons can receive more test samples for a limited cost, in order to evaluate a technician, test a new method…

Principle: 

• In addition to the sample distribution, laboratories receive one or several additional interlaboratory test samples
• They analyse their test samples and report the results of the proficiency test
• For the additional test samples, results are interpreted by the laboratories

The list of available additional test samples and associated fees can be found in the section 'Downloads  / Catalogues'  from the member area of each laboratory registered for the proficiency tests.

Should you be interested in such test samples, contact us.

These are materials coming from proficiency testing regarding chemistry in solid matrices (sludges, sediments, sites and soils) for your daily quality control.

They are provided with a certificate (includes a summary of the assigned values and their uncertainties obtained during the test).

These materials can be used in the frame of the monitoring and improvement of laboratories' analytical performance, especially for:

• internal quality control
• follow up of corrective actions (in particular in case of unsatisfactory results during a test)
• the validation of methods
• the support for staff training

Any member of the Association can buy these materials at any time during the year, whether the lab participated or not in the proficiency tests where the material comes from. Test materials are available once the test report is issued.

Check the Eurachem  information leaflet about the use of surplus proficiency test items.

Contact us if you are interested in these materials.