This study was implemented as a part of the experiment to develop two kinds of soil-based Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) proficiency testing materials (PTMs) for soil analysis. A test was carried out for the check of solubility of the reference material (high purity reagent) using several solvents. Another test was also conducted for the evaluation of homogeneity and stability of two kinds of candidate soil reference materials. The test analysis of BaP in terms of the candidate materials was conducted according to the Standard Soil Analytical Methods by Ministry of Environment. Dissolution of the reference material was shown to vary depending on solvent type and was higher in the order of Dichloromethane > Acetone > Acetone/MeOH (9 : 1) > N-hexane. In addition, the slope on calibration curve for BaP standard solutions was largest on BaP standard solutions prepared with dichloromethane of the tested solvents. Such tendency appeared egually in the commercial BaP standard solution. Therefore, it is thought to be reasonable to use dichloromethane as the solvent in case of the standard stock solution that is used for the measurement of BaP concentration in soil. ISO 13528 and IUPAC protocol were used for verification of homogeneity on the two kinds of soil candidate materials, Both candidate materials were sufficiently homogeneous. Stability assessment of the two candidate materials was made according to ISO Guide 35 and the result showed that both batches did not have any long-term and short term stability issues that might occur during shipping. However, monitoring results of BaP concentration in soil showed that BaP concentration of the two batches measured at 15 days after the sample preparation was reduced by about 24~37% compared with that of the samples measured on 0 day of the sample preparation. Identification was done with several treatments such as irradiation and sterilization etc. The major cause was shown to be irradiation to the samples.
Keywords: Proficiency testing materials (PTMs);Homogeneity;Stability;Candidate material;ISO 13528;