EUROSOILS--a set of CRMs for comparability of soil-measurements.

An overview is given on the development, properties, and application of the European reference soil set – the EUROSOILS. The introduction of this new type of reference material has, for the first time, enabled comparison of data related to the interaction of chemical substances with the soil, and thus, improvement of soil quality. Because of their unforeseen success, a second generation of EUROSOILS had been produced and the range of application extended to other types of measurement related to the soil matrix – soil pH, carbon and nitrogen content, particle-size distribution and cation-exchange capacity. Other fields of application include analytical method development or testing of soil decontamination techniques.