Food and environmental protection newsletter. Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2007

The Food and Environmental Protection subprogramme has initiated a coordinated research project (CRP) on Integrated Analytical Approaches to Assess Indicators of the Effectiveness of Pesticide Management Practices at a Catchment Scale. This CRP integrates risk assessment tools and targeted analytical monitoring as a cost-effective option for developing countries to identify specific water pollutants, their sources and occurrences. Nuclear and related techniques will assist in generating CRP outputs such as harmonized protocols for sampling and analysis of surface water. In addition, the FAO/IAEA Training and Reference Centre for Food and Pesticide Control of our Seibersdorf Laboratories is organizing a training workshop on Introduction to Quality Assurance/Quality Control Measures in Pesticide Residue Analytical Laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria, from 11 September to 6 October 2006. The workshop is aimed at qualified analysts who are working in laboratories performing official control on behalf of their Governments. The objective is to introduce and discuss in detail the QA/QC principles relevant to pesticide residue analysis. Practical examples and hands-on training will be used to demonstrate the general requirements outlined in ISO/IEC Standard 17025 and the OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP)