7. Method validation in EDXRF

Nowadays more and more customers of analytical techniques like XRF require that services supplied by an Organization must satisfy their needs and expectations. Owing to the increased demands from society for reliable/certified analytical results, XRF laboratories face an urgent need for quality management system (QMS) implementation.

To be really efficient and effective, your XRF Laboratory can manage its way of doing things by systemizing it, even when you do not perform a routine work. This ensures that nothing important in your XRF practice is left out and that everyone is clear about who is responsible for doing what, when, how, why and where. A general introduction to Quality Management for EDXRF Practice is provided in the IAEA Training Course Series (CD-ROM) 53.

ISO/IEC 17025 (2005) establishes the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Although some standards have been approved for specific XRF methods, one important task is the proper validation of methods implemented in the laboratory practice. The recommendations for method validation are given in section 5.4.5 of the ISO/IEC 17025. A method validation report shall include the assessment and documented evidence of several characteristics of performance, which are described in the following sections. The terms follow the definitions given in the JCGM 200:2012 International vocabulary of metrology − Basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM).