Northumbrian Water Scientific Services have used their flexible scope of accreditation again, this time to accredit the newly developed method for analysis of Chlormequat in drinking (potable) water, groundwater and surface water.
After the previous lab instrumentation became irreparable the LCMS team quickly sprang into action to develop a brand-new method. In just over a month they successfully completed the whole application process which includes method development, method validation, internal audit and review of all quality system documentation.
The analytical method has moved from the old Liquid Chromatography –Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) instrument to a much newer LCMS, continuing with direct injection to negate the need for any manual extraction or preparation stages.
David Mulholland - LCMS team Leader said “With a six-week turnaround from starting development to having the method in use analysing Chlormequat samples for our customers shows a great team effort. Julia – LCMS Scientist and Hannah – LCMS Analyst knew that they had to deliver a method that was robust and fit for purpose in record time, which they did. We are sure that the UKAS auditors will be happy to award fixed accreditation at their next annual surveillance visit.”
This new method has meant that the Chlormequat tests can continue to be analysed in house and reported as accredited to both Drinking Water Testing Standard (DWTS) and ISO 17025 standards, allowing us to deliver a high quality and consistent service that we are proud to provide to our customers.
If you would like any information regarding this or any other of the analytical or sampling services that our laboratory can provide, then contact our dedicated Customer Team and we’ll be happy to help.