Metrology for the determination of contaminants and development of BNDs/CRMs of Water & Food matrices: CSIR -NPL effort for dissemination of quality product to the end user for safe consumption

Abstract

The contamination of water and food is a serious concern nowadays due to enhancing anthropogenic activities. The water & soil get polluted and accumulate with non-degradable contaminants which easily enter the human body through the food chain. The contaminants exceeding the permissible limit are seen in various regions of India which is of great concern to the Local Water Supply Bodies and Food Authorities. Accurate & precise determination of contaminants is needed for both the toxicological and economic point of view. Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) play a vital role in ensuring quality control of analytical results. Research is carried out constantly in CSIR-NPL to find out the contamination region, and concentration level of contaminants. Detailed studies show that heavy metal contamination mainly Pb, Cd, As, Hg, and Cr is seen in the paddy crop of the Punjab region and fluoride, and arsenic contamination is seen in the Haryana region. Adulteration of food materials is also found in spices, honey, turmeric etc. and dyes are being used as adulterants in spices like saffron. The results obtained are useful for the Regulatory Body, Policy Maker, Water and Food Bodies/Authorities. CSIR-NPL being the NMI of India, has been taken effort in the last four decades to make available Indigenous CRM, which trade name is Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravyas (BNDs) to overcome the demand of the testing laboratories. Participated in International Intercomparison program under the Chemical Metrology Activity and several BNDs have been developed for the chemical parameters of various matrices such as elemental analytes in water, rice, gold; ultimate and proximate analytes for coal etc. to cater for the needs of the country and to overcome the barrier in trade. Support has been given to the Reference Material Producers (RMPs) by disseminating traceability and ascertaining the property value of BNDs for chemical parameters in matrices like water, building material and petroleum products. Continuous support has been given to the Local Water Bodies providing testing services. Technical support is given to the National Commission for Clean Ganga along with PTB, Germany for the strengthening of quality infrastructure of the State Pollution Control Board, and Regional Pollution Control Board Laboratories involved in the analysis of Ganga Water by providing training, lab assessment, and proficiency testing. Technical support is given as faculty, members of various committees, and assessors to the statutory Body like Bureau of Indian Standard and national Accredited Bodies. There is an urgent need for the microplastic contaminants in Water and Food matrices, as no such RM/CRM is available. Thus, initiative has already been taken to identify the source of microplastics and effort will be taken in future to develop a method for its quantification and produce Reference Materials of some common microplastic which will certainly help the Regulatory Body. Utilising the measurement capability, new BNDs of millets and various matrices will be developed as per the need of the country for the dissemination of quality products to the end user for safe consumption of water and food.