The working group 3.11 (Inorganic Analysis) of PTB was honoured with the 2009 CITAC award for their scientific contribution to establish comparability and traceability in water analysis in Europe. This work is related to the current realisation of EU-Directives for water protection (Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption, Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC).

Establishing comparability for measurement results of the most relevant environmental measurands in water is demanded by several EU-directives (Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption, EU-Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD)).
The practical realisation of this request is demonstrated in examples by establishing traceability to the SI within EUROMET-Project 924. This is an exercise organised by PTB, BAM, LNE and IRMM with contributions from many NMIs and more than 100 expert- and testing laboratories from the water sector from all over Europe and abroad (incl. the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile and others).
Assuring comparability on a permanent basis for highly demanding measurands on such a large scale requires new, innovative and efficient metrological concepts for comparisons. Such concepts were developed, validated and published recently (Rienitz et al. Accred Qual Assur (2007) 12:615) by the PTB working group 3.11 in cooperation with partners from research and industry (Universität Stuttgart, IWW Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wasserforschung). This work was now honoured with 2009 CITAC Award.

CITAC - Cooperation on International Traceability in Analytical Chemistry - was created with the mission to improve traceability of the results of chemical measurements everywhere in the world and to ensure that analytical measurements made in different countries and/or at different times are comparable.
It is an international cooperation with members from all continents and arose out of an international workshop held in association with the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry (PITTCON) in Atlanta, March 1993.