Press Release

 

World Leading Forensic Chemists Get Seal of Approval

 

Mass Spec Analytical Ltd. (MSA) of Filton, Bristol, is the world’s first laboratory to be granted accreditation for the analysis of biofuels. The company has developed pioneering chemical techniques to differentiate between biofuels and fuels with synthetic or fossil origins, and has become the approved laboratory for the analysis of Formula 1 motor racing biofuels. The company has received accreditation from UKAS, the UK’s official accreditation body, who assess the scientific quality of laboratory techniques against international standards.

 

The approach used is Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), a technique used to distinguish between samples of chemically identical material based on the differences in the number of neutrons in the nuclei of the atoms making up a substance. The company is an acknowledged world leader in this field, which has further applications in product counterfeiting (e.g. fake and out of date pharmaceuticals), and other forensic areas such as matching plastics from crime scenes.

 

Accreditation has also been obtained for the ultra-trace detection of drugs of abuse on personal items such as clothing and banknotes, and for the analysis of alcohol in blood and urine.

 

MSA has been at the cutting edge of forensic mass spectrometry for more than a decade. The techniques used by the company allow valuable forensic evidence to be obtained in sample sizes as small as a billionth of a gram, and the company has prepared forensic evidence in over a thousand legal cases. Its technology has applications in a variety of criminal areas and is protected by a number of patents.

 

Scientific director Dr Richard Sleeman states, “The company is delighted to have the UKAS seal of approval for its techniques and proud to be the only company in the world to meet the UKAS standard in this exciting new area”.

 

For the scope of activities covered by ISO17025 accreditation please refer to the UKAS schedule, available on www.ukas.org “Testing” site and search for Laboratory 2672.

 

For further information contact Mr Jonathan Langton,  Dr Jim Carter or Dr Richard Sleeman on 0117 – 317 3600.