In the period from September 5 until November 11, 2022. Institute for Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IMBIH) had the opportunity to participate in the fifth cycle of the "BIPM-TÜBİTAK UME Project Placements" program with its representative from the field of organic chemistry. "BIPM- TÜBİTAK UME Project Placements" is a joint program of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the Turkish National Institute of Metrology (TÜBİTAK UME) which provides an opportunity for new research experience and practical laboratory training to selected researchers from other metrology institutes in areas of interest. The program promotes the improvement of skills and knowledge transfer, and in this year's, fifth cycle, the representative of IMBIH participated in the project: “Pesticide residue analysis using chromatography techniques such as GC-MS/MS (gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry) and HPLC-MS (high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry)”. The project training was conducted in the Laboratories for Organic Chemistry (TÜBITAK UME), and consisted of the following parts: preparation of basic pesticide solutions and calibration solutions in previously defined ranges, optimization of instrumental parameters, development of methods for determining different groups of pesticides, as well as validation of developed methods and measurement uncertainty calculation.

Given the fact that pesticides are one of the most important pollutants worldwide due to their various uses, accumulation in the environment, and their toxicity, the improper and excessive use of pesticides is becoming an increasing risk, both for the environment and food safety, as well as human, animal and plant health. Bearing in mind these facts, the development of traceable metrology methods for pesticide residue analysis using chromatographic techniques, and preparation of certified reference materials of pesticides in various matrices of interest is of great importance when it comes to providing support and metrological traceability to control laboratories at the local and regional level, but also participation in proficiency testing schemes, as well as the publication of new calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs) in the future. The knowledge and experience gained in the mentioned field will certainly contribute to the technical, but also research potential of IMBIH.

You can see more about this project at the link:

https://www.bipm.org/en/committees/cb/cbkt/wg/cbkt-project-tubitak