Results of an EC laboratory comparison on super(40)K, super(90)Sr and super(137)Cs in dried bilberry powder

The evaluation is presented of a laboratory comparison (LC) on super(90)Sr, super(40)K and super(137)Cs in dried bilberries organised in 2011 by the IRMM. The activity concentrations reported by 88 participant laboratories are compared to the reference values of the new reference material IRMM-426 Wild Berries. Nine per cent and 17% of activity concentration results for super(137)Cs and super(40)K, respectively, deviate more than 20% from the reference values, a result worse than that obtained in previous LCs. For super(90)Sr, about 88% of results lie within 30% of the reference value, better than observed in previous LCs. But only 58% of super(90)Sr results are satisfactory in terms of the E sub(n) criterion, indicating difficulties with a complete uncertainty estimation.