Activities of NIMD
Supply of certified reference materials
Certified reference materials (CRM)
Pursuant to ISO Guide 35 (JIS Q 0035), we have produced hair,urine, and blood CRMs. They can be used for the purpose of validating the appropriateness of an analysis method or analysis equipment, or managing analytical preciseness in the process of quantitative analysis of trace elements. These products are registered with RMinfo (Reference Materials Total Information Services of Japan) and in the COMAR Certified Reference Materials database and can be searched and accessed for viewing as well.
Destinations of distribution - Conditions for distribution
The CRMs can be distributed to national and other public research institutions (including Incorporated Administrative Agencies), research and survey organizations that engage in surveys related to the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and research laboratories of educational institutions, such as universities. While distribution is free of charge, we ask requesting parties to answer at the time of request the questions given below so that we can refer to them in our future work of CRM development. As a general rule, we prohibit the transfer or sale of distributed CRMs.
Information on distribution
If you are interested in obtaining our CRM, please make sure to review the destinations of distribution and conditions for distribution stated above. If you wish to request distribution, please send us an e-mail, specifying the following pieces of information, at:
(Person in charge: Koichi Haraguchi, Mercury Analysis Technique Section)
When you e-mail us, please copy and paste the following request details in the main body:
- ①Name of person in charge (in full name):
- ②Name of your research laboratory:
- ③Name of your department:
- ④Address (including the name of your building):
- ⑤Telephone number (including the area code):
- ⑥E-mail address:
-
⑦Purpose of use
- A：Analysis method development
- B：Exposure survey
- C：Metabolism
- D：Environmental
- E：Other (Specify: )
-
⑧Which compound or element do you need certified values (or reference values) of?
- A：MeHg
- B：THg
- C：Cu
- D：Zn
- E：As
- F：Se
- G：Cd
- H：Pb
- I：Mn
-
⑨How do you find the concentration level relative to your purpose of use?
- A：High
- B：Appropriate
- C：Low
- D：Neither high nor low（Do not know）
-
⑩What mercury reference material do you normally use (what other material would you request)?
- A：Hair
- B：Urine
- C：Blood
- D：Fish and shellfish
- E：Sediment
- F：Soil
- G：Water
- H：High-concentration sample
- I：Other (Specify: )
-
⑪What quality do you weigh in selecting a CRM?
- A：Homogeneity in small quantity
- B：Stability at room temperature
- C：Concentration level
- Please answer item ⑫ only if you are requesting NIMD-01.
-
⑫How do you find the minimum sampling volume relative to your purpose of use?
- A：High
- B：Adequate
- C：Low
- D：Neither high nor low (Do not know)
* We will ship the requested CRM within one month after receiving an e-mail. * Please understand that we cannot make a shipment if any of the questions is unanswered.
NIMD-01: Human hair
1.Certified values
The certified values of this reference material are as listed below and they are SI-traceable.
Expanded standard uncertainties of the certified values are standard uncertainties multiplied by a coverage factor, k=2.
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| Class | Element | Certified mass fraction value (mg/kg) |
Expanded standard uncertainty value in mass fraction (mg/kg) |
Analysis method (see below for information) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified value | Methylmercury (MeHg) | 0.634 | 0.071 | 1),2),3) |
| Total mercury (THg) | 0.794 | 0.050 | 4),5),6) | |
| Copper (Cu) | 12.8 | 1.4 | 7) | |
| Zinc (Zn) | 234 | 29 | 7) | |
| Selenium (Se) | 1.52 | 0.29 | 7) | |
| Indicative value | Arsenic (As) | 0.17 | 0.03 | ‐ |
Analysis method
- 1) GC-electron capture detector
- 2) HPLC-chemiluminescence
- 3) Ethylation-GC-cold vapor atomic fluorescence
- 4) Thermal decomposition atomic absorption
- 5) Cold vapor atomic absorption
- 6) Cold vapor atomic fluorescence
- 7) Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
2.Minimum sampling volume
From the viewpoint of ensuring homogeneity, it is recommended that a minimum sampling volume should be 20 mg per analysis session.
3.Period of validity
The period of validity of this reference material is September 30, 2027 on condition that it should be stored unopened and the storage instructions given below should be followed.
However, the period of validity may be extended upon verification of longer-term stability, in which case the information will be published on this website.
4.Product form
This reference material comes in gray-colored granular form and is sealed in a glass vial containing approximately 3 g each.
5.Storage instructions
Shield the material from light and store in a clean location at temperature of 35℃ or below (frozen or refrigerated storage recommended).
6.Handling and use instructions
- This reference material has been sterilized with gamma irradiation; however, it should still be handled with care in view of its potential as a disease carrier.
- Use this reference material after mixing it well by rotating the container to ensure the homogeneity of its content.
- Before measuring the mass of a sample, make sure to leave it at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- This reference material has a moisture content of approximately 5%. All certified values are indicated on a dry-mass basis. Therefore, make sure to measure the moisture content of the sample to correct analysis values in the component measurement procedure. Specifically: heat the sample (> 100 mg) in an oven at the temperature of 85℃ for 4 hours. After heating, immediately close the weighing bottle with the lid and cool it in a silica-gel desiccator for approximately 30 minutes. After cooling, measure the mass to calculate the difference in weight before and after heating, as the moisture content. In order not to cause the components of an assay to evaporate or decompose, make sure to use different samples for component analysis purposes and for moisture content measurement purposes.
7.Collaborating organizations
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| No. | Institute | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balai Besar Laboratorium Kesehatan (BBLK) | Indonesia |
| 2 | Dong-A University | Korea |
| 3 | IDEA Consultants, Inc. | Japan |
| 4 | Institut national de santé publique du Québec | Canada |
| 5 | International Mercury Lab. | Japan |
| 6 | Jožef Stefan Institute | Slovenia |
| 7 | Kagoshima University | Japan |
| 8 | Lumex Instruments | Russia |
| 9 | Milestone General.K.K | Japan |
| 10 | National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) | Japan |
| 11 | National Institute for Minamata Disease (NIMD) | Japan |
| 12 | Nippon Instruments Corporation (NIC) | Japan |
| 13 | Pusat Penelitian Dan Pegembangan Kualitas Dan Laboratorium Lingkungan (P3KLL) | Indonesia |
| 14 | SHIMADZU Techno-Research, Inc. | Japan |
| 15 | St. Petersburg University | Russia |
| 16 | Tshwane University of Technology | South Africa |
| 17 | University of Ottawa | Canada |
| 18 | University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | US |
| 19 | University of Southern Denmark | Denmark |
Institutes are in alphabetical order
8.Reference literature
Haraguchi K, Sakamoto M, Matsuyama A, Yamamoto M, Dang T H, Nagasaka H, Uchida K, Ito Y, Kodamatani H, Horvat M, Chan H M, Rand M, Cirtiu C M, Kim B G, Nielsen F, Yamakawa A, Mashyanov N, Panichev N, Panova E, Watanabe T, Kaneko N, Yoshinaga J, Herwati R F, Suoth A E, Akagi H: Development of human hair reference material supporting the biomonitoring of methylmercury. Anal. Sci. 2020 36, 561-567.
https://doi.org/10.2116/analsci.19SBP07
NIMD-02: Human urine - NIMD-03: Human urine
1.Certified values
The certified values of this reference material are as listed below and they are SI-traceable.
Expanded standard uncertainties of the certified values are standard uncertainties multiplied by a coverage factor, k=2.
NIMD-02 (low concentration)
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| Element | Certified mass fraction value (μg/L) |
Expanded standard uncertainty value in mass fraction (μg/L) |
Analysis method (see below for information) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total mercury (THg) | 0.292 | 0.057 | 1),2),3),4) |
| Cadmium（Cd） | 0.154 | 0.030 | 4) |
NIMD-03 (high concentration)
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| Element | Certified mass fraction value (μg/L) |
Expanded standard uncertainty value in mass fraction (µg/L) |
Analysis method (see below for information) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total mercury (THg) | 4.80 | 0.56 | 1),2),3),4) |
Analysis method
- 1) Thermal decomposition atomic absorption
- 2) Cold vapor atomic absorption
- 3) Cold vapor atomic fluorescence
- 4) Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
Download NIMD-02Certificate (pdf)
Download NIMD-03Certificate (pdf)
2. Period of validity
The period of validity of this reference material is November 30, 2027 on condition that it should be stored unopened and the storage instructions given below should be followed. However, the period of validity may be extended upon verification of longer-term stability, in which case the information will be published on the website of the producer (http://nimd.env.go.jp/).
3.Product form
This reference material comes vacuum-packed in a set of 4 plastic tubes, in each of which approximately 4 mL is sealed.
4.Storage instructions
In view of transportation to a destination abroad, this reference material will be shipped after a short-term stability test is performed using the condition of 37℃ in temperature and 4 weeks in duration, with a temperature indicator label showing 37℃ attached to the shipment. Shield the material from light and store in a clean location at a temperature of -20℃ or less immediately after receiving the shipment.
5.Handling and use instructions
- This reference material has been sterilized with gamma irradiation; however, it should still be handled with care in view of its potential as a disease carrier.
- Use this reference material after mixing it well by rotating the container to ensure the homogeneity of its content.
- Make sure to bring the sample back to room temperature before taking an assay.
6.Collaborating organizations
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| No. | Institute | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dong-A University | Korea |
| 2 | IDEA Consultants, Inc. | Japan |
| 3 | Institut national de santé publique du Québec | Canada |
| 4 | Jožef Stefan Institute | Slovenia |
| 5 | Kagoshima University | Japan |
| 6 | Lumex Instruments | Russia |
| 7 | Metropolitan Council Environmental Services | US |
| 8 | National Institute for Minamata Disease (NIMD) | Japan |
| 9 | Nippon Instruments Corporation (NIC) | Japan |
| 10 | SHIMADZU Techno-Research, Inc. | Japan |
| 11 | University of Ottawa | Canada |
| 12 | University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | US |
| 13 | Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology | Vietnam |
Institutes are in alphabetical order
NIMD-04: Human whole blood
1.Certified and indicative values
Certified values of NIMD-04 shown below are traceable to the International System of Units (SI).
Expanded uncertainties of certified values are obtained by multiplying standard uncertainties by a coverage factor k = 2.
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| Class | Elements | Unit | Value | Expanded uncertainty | Analytical method (refer to annotations below) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certified value | Methyl mercury (Me-Hg) | µg/L | 5.46 | 0.50 | 1),2),3),4),5) |
| Total mercury (T-Hg) | µg/L | 6.16 | 0.62 | 6),7),8),9) | |
| Lead (Pb) | µg/L | 6.76 | 0.60 | 9) | |
| Selenium (Se) | mg/L | 0.182 | 0.028 | 9) | |
| Copper (Cu) | mg/L | 0.667 | 0.090 | 9) | |
| Zinc (Zn) | mg/L | 4.82 | 0.55 | 9) | |
| Indicative value | Cadmium (Cd) | µg/L | 0.88 | 0.13 | ‐ |
| Manganese (Mn) | µg/L | 18 | 8.5 | ‐ | |
| Arsenic (As) | µg/L | 3.4 | 0.58 | ‐ |
Analytical methods:
- 1) Gas Chromatography-Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD)
- 2) High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Chemiluminescence (HPLC-Chemiluminescence)
- 3) Ethylation-Gas Chromatography-Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence (Ethylation-GC-CVAF)
- 4) High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS)
- 5) Solvent Extraction-Thermal Decomposition Atomic Absorption (Solvent extraction-TDAA)
- 6) Thermal Decomposition Atomic Absorption (TDAA)
- 7) Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption (CVAA)
- 8) Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence (CVAF)
- 9) Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
2.Period of validity
The certification of NIMD-04 remains valid until September 30, 2025, provides it is kept unopened and stored according to the instructions below. The validity period may be extended if the stability of the product is maintained. Any updates regarding the validity period will be announced on the NIMD website (http://nimd.env.go.jp/）.
3.Product form
This reference material is a freeze-dried sample of 3 mL whole blood, sterilized by γ-ray irradiation and sealed in a brown glass bottle.
4.Storage instructions
Store unopened NIMD-04 in a clean, light-shielded place below -20°C.
5.Handling and use instructions
- Although NIMD-04 is sterilized with γ-ray irradiation, consider the potential risk as a source of diseases.
- To homogenize the content, shake the bottle well before use.
- Before aliquoting samples for analysis, they should be prepared according to "2. Instructions for use”.
6.Collaborating organizations
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| No. | Institute | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IDEA Consultants, Inc. | Japan |
| 2 | Institut national de santé publique du Québec | Canada |
| 3 | Jožef Stefan Institute | Slovenia |
| 4 | Kagoshima University | Japan |
| 5 | Lumex Instruments | Canada |
| 6 | National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) | Japan |
| 7 | National Institute Minamata Disease (NIMD) | Japan |
| 8 | Nippon Instruments Corporation (NIC) | Japan |
| 9 | SHIMADZU Techno-Research, Inc. | Japan |
| 10 | University of Ottawa | Canada |
| 11 | University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | US |
| 12 | Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology | Vietnam |
Institutes are in alphabetical order
ISO17025-certified laboratory
The National Institute for Minamata Disease has been accredited as a laboratory based on JIS Q 17025:2018 (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) with flexible scope.
Accreditation details
*The table can be scrolled horizontally.
| Accreditation body | Japan Accreditation Board |
|---|---|
| Accreditation number | RTL04480 |
| Accreditation date; renewal date | February 21, 2018; March 1, 2022 |
| Scope of applicability | Biological sciences testing |
| Testing methods | Thermal decomposition, amalgamation and atomic absorption spectrometry, cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry, chromatography |
| Matrixes ( flexible ) |
human hair, human urine, human blood |
| Analytes | Total mercury, methylmercury |
| Test method standards; standard operating procedures ( flexible ) |
USEPA Method 7473 Mercury Analysis Manual |