Quality Standards in the Laboratory
The Laboratory
The laboratory is accredited to all necessary standards:
The Regional Laboratory for Toxicology is fully accredited with the CPA
(Clinical Pathology Accreditation UK Ltd).
http://www.cpa-uk.co.uk/
From 30th June 2005, the laboratory has gained
UKAS
(The United Kingdom Accreditation Service)
accreditation, for Workplace Drug Testing (including employment and
pre-employment testing). As testing laboratory 2463.
http://www.ukas.org/testing/schedules/Actual/2463Testing Single_005.pdf
http://www.ukas.com/
The Trace Elements Section (Trace Metals), is accredited with the Supra-Regional
Assay Service for Trace Metals (SAS).
http://www.sas-centre.org/
Assays
The laboratory participates in as many external (both national and international) quality assessment (QA) schemes as is practicable.
However, for some toxicological assays, there are no known QA schemes.
Participation in external quality assessment schemes
C.1 UK NEQAS Scheme for Drugs of Abuse in urine
This scheme covers a minimum of amphetamines, barbiturates, cannabinoids, cocaine, benzodiazepines, methadone/EDDP, opiates (including 6-MAM), buprenorphine and metabolites, MDMA, MDA and MDEA; as well as measures of sample integrity (creatinine and pH). Three samples are provided every three months.
C.2 Heath Control Scheme for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in serum
This scheme covers caffeine, carbamazepine, digoxin, ethosuximide, lamotrigine, phenobarbitone, phenytoin, theophylline, valproic acid, gabapentin, vigabatrin,. Four samples are provided every month.
C.3 UK NEQAS Scheme for Analytical Toxicology in blood, serum and urine
This scheme covers paracetamol, salicylate, ethanol and carboxyhaemoglobin. One sample is provided every month.
C.4 UK NEQAS Scheme for Toxicology Cases in blood and urine
This scheme covers the analytical investigation of a toxicological case and the subsequent interpretation of the results obtained in relation to the case history given. One case is distributed every three months.
C.5 Finnish Institute of Occupational Health Scheme in urine
This scheme covers phenol, trichloracetic acid and methyl hippuric acid. Two samples are provided every three months.
C.6 UK (LGC) Quartz post-mortem blood toxicology proficiency testing scheme
This scheme provides for the identification and quantification of analytes in forensic toxicology samples. Two samples are provided every three months.
C.7 UK NEQAS scheme for Cd and Pb in blood
This scheme covers cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). Two samples are provided every month.
C.8 UK Guildford Trace Elements Scheme in water and dialysis fluid
This scheme covers aluminium (Al) in water and dialysate. Two samples are provided every month.
C.9 UK Guildford NEQAS (ex TEQAS) Trace Elements Scheme in blood, serum and urine
This scheme covers lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd)and manganese (Mn) in blood; aluminium (Al), copper (Cu), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) in serum; and cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg),copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) in urine. Three samples are provided every month.
C.10 UK Guildford EQA Additional Trace Elements Scheme in blood and urine
This scheme covers arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), and magnesium (Mg) in blood; and arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and thallium (Tl) in urine. Three samples are provided every four months.
C.11 Canadian Quebec Trace Elements Scheme in blood, serum and urine
This scheme covers lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) in blood. It covers aluminium (Al), copper (Cu), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) in serum. It further covers cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr) and zinc (Zn) in urine. Three samples are provided every two months.
C.12 UK SAS Trace Elements Scheme in blood and serum
This scheme covers lead (Pb) in blood, and five samples per week are provided. It also covers zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), selenium (Se) and aluminium (Al) in serum, and two samples per week are provided.
QC
Quality Control material is either purchased from a recognised commercial source wherever possible, prepared by TEQAS for use by the UK SAS labs, or it is prepared in-house to the most exacting standards.
"Assayed" QC materials (urine, plasma, blood etc.), with stated values (ranges) are available from several commercial sources, e.g. Roche, BioRad & Randox.
EQA
NEQAS
United
Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service
http://www.ukneqas.org.uk/
HeathControl
UKNEQAS
Cardiff
Bioanalytical Services Ltd.
LGC
(formerly the Laboratory of the Government Chemist)
FIOH
Finnish
Institute of Occupational Health
UK
Guildford Trace Elements Scheme
formerly TEQAS
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/SBMS/eqas/teqas.html
now under UKNEQAS
http://www.ukneqas.org.uk/Directory/CC/traceel.htm
Quebec
(CTQ)
Centre de Toxicologie du Quebec
http://www.ctq.qc.ca/ctqintre.html
Last modified: March 11, 2008
