The XRF Standards laboratory of Eastern Applied Research has developed a set of hazardous substance reference standards.
Initially developed for use on Seiko x-ray fluorescence and Skyray XRF systems, the reference set can be utilised with both desktop and handheld XRF systems of most brands to increase instrument accuracy.
The complete set is known as the 'ROHS-Standard Set' because it was developed for organisations testing for compliance to the European Unions (EU) Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (ROHS) regulations.
This regulation defines acceptable amounts of toxic metals in products sold throughout the EU; however, the standards set can be utilised with x-ray fluorescence instruments to analyse product for compliance to any of the various hazardous substance regulations.
The ROHS-Standard Set from Eastern Applied Research is made up of Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg) and Bromine (Br) and includes four pieces of polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC): one blank piece of each and one of each at 100 parts per million (ppm).
The certificate that comes with the standard set indicates the actual amounts for Cadmium, Chromium and Lead and it is implied that Hg and Br are at 100ppm.
'X-ray fluorescence analysers (XRF) are a popular method to test for hazardous substances, but many organisations don't realise the importance of having accurate reference standards to use with an analyser,' said Lynn Mahoney, director of quality for Eastern Applied Research.
'Along with a proper functioning XRF, the ROHS-Standard Set will allow a company to see increased accuracy in the detection of hazardous substances in product.'
