Examination of performance in collaborative studies of recommended methods for pesticide residues analysis

Panels of analysts from Government Departments, Local Government, research stations and the food and chemical industries have recommended, as necessary, reliable methods for the analysis of pesticide residues in foodstuffs in the UK following collaborative studies. A significant proportion of all such collaborative work on pesticide residues methods, as reported in the world literature, has been carried out by these analysts, with some participation from workers in other countries. A statistical analysis of results from UK work and of those which are comparable in the rest of the literature is described.Recovery data cited for the methods are good, and the reproducibility, expressed by over-all coefficient of variation, is generally about 15–20%, although it can be above or below the range. The ratios of inter-to intra-laboratory standard deviation are discussed.