Summary of the FIRMS Inter-Laboratory Comparisons (ILC)

In the most recent FIRMS Network Inter-Laboratory Comparison of stable isotope measurements three test materials were distributed to 31 laboratories worldwide. The materials distributed were:

glycine
4-nitroacetanilide and
sodium nitrate

Laboratories were requested to perform 10 measurements for each element present (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ18O) of each analyte.

Detailed results for the recent study have been circulated to participating laboratories and made available on this website (hyperlink). Results for previous ILCs have been published in a special edition of the Forensic Science Society’s Journal, Science and Justice dedicated to forensic applications of IRMS.
ILC Year Materials Elements
1 2002 cane sugar & flour δ13C, δ15N
2 2004 phenacetin & polyethylene film δ13C, δ15N, δ2H
3 2006 horse hair & paper x2 δ13C, δ15N, δ2H, δ18O
4 2008 benzocaine & poly(ethylene glycol) δ13C, δ15N, δ2H, δ18O
5 2009 ammonium nitrate, cellulose and bone δ13C, δ15N, δ2H, δ18O, Pb Sr
6 2011 glycine, 4-nitroacetanilide & sodium nitrate δ13C, δ15N, δ2H, δ18O

Table 1: ILCs to date

Figure 1: ILC participants by element
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