[en] Full text: The 2000/60/EC requires EQS values for a list of priority chemical substances. Among them Hg has an EQS value that is really low (0.05 μg/L) in comparison with the analytical methods available. In this framework CCQM has organized the pilot study CCQM-P100.2 to support the NMIs in developing appropriate analytical methods for this challenging task. In this paper, the results of ISPRA (former APAT) in this comparison, a detailed description of the ICPMS analytical method developed to determine Hg in water at EQS concentration level, and uncertainty budget, according to the GUM approach, will be discussed in detail. Results show that the analytical method is appropriate to measure Hg at the EQS value, having reported a bias of around 4 %. (author)

[en] In recent years, the importance of trace metal mobile fractions rather than total contents in environmental matrices is increasing in risk assessment evaluation of contaminated sites. In this study different leaching/extraction tests, aimed at the measurements of mobile fractions of trace metals and standardized at European Committee for Standardization (CE N) for the characterization of waste, have been compared with those adopted by the Italian legislation for soils. All these procedures have been applied on Venice Lagoon sediments, in order to extend the appliance of these methods to sediments and to verify the consistency of the results when different leaching tests are applied on the same sample. The results show that these tests can be applied successfully to sediments and confirm that leaching/extraction methods based on the main parameters controlling the remobilization of trace metals are useful tools for risk-assessment, because they can allow a transparent interpretation in the light of key environmental variables (such as pH and DOC) controlling metal mobility. Further the use of geochemical models in support to leaching allows the assessment of trace metals mobility in the long-term

[en] Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic materials (usually those with plant origins) and it is used in gardening and agriculture, mixed in with the soil. It improves soil structure, increases the amount of organic matter, and provides nutrients. Compost is a common name for humus, which is the result of the decomposition of organic matter. Generally, compost is the raw material obtained by the aerobic decomposition of the organic residues of the municipal waste or of the vegetable market waste. Composting is the industrial operation to produce compost on a large scale and it is the controlled decomposition technique of organic matter. Rather than allowing nature to take its slow course, a composter provides an optimal environment in which decomposer can thrive. The compost raw material used to prepare the APAT-RM004 reference material has been obtained from an aerobic composting plant located near Rome (Italy). This plant produces compost from organic waste originating from municipal routine plant trimmings, pruning, lawn mowing and wastes deriving from vegetable markets. The homogeneity test was carried out on 10 different units (bottles) sequentially selected over the whole bottling process. This study has been carried by measuring the total contents of C by CHN-S considering a sample intake of 0.02g and by the determination of the Hg content by direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80) considering a sample intake of 0.5g. Both techniques achieve high precision levels and require little or no sample processing prior to analysis