The EC Directive 94/62 on packaging & packaging waste, sets out the permissible concentration levels of the four heavy metals Pb, Cd, Hg & hexavalent chromium in packaging. Article 10 of the Directive encourages the development of analytical procedures for the determination of these elements & the preparation of suitable reference materials. Since 1994, Tech Committee 2 of the ICG participated in the preparation of a trace elements refrerence glass containing lead & cadmium at concentrations comparable with the proposed limit values. The glass reference materials have been certified within a project conducted & financed under the Standards, Materials & Testing Programme of EU & is now available as CRM 664. The report summarises results obtained during the study & recommends a specific analytical procedure for the analysis of Pb & Cd in glass.
