Examination of the Accreditation Status of Water Quality Parameters

Abstract

Introduction. The monitoring of pollutant concentrations resulting in water pollution, which constitutes the basis of environmental pollution, and the measurement of the water parameters used in pollution control must be done in the accredited laboratories in order to get more reliable results. Aim of the study. To examine and compare the accredited laboratories of universities, public institutions and private sector in Turkey with regard to water quality parameters. To eliminate the deficiencies in the literature. Material and methods. We studied on 47 water quality parameters. The data in this study were taken from Turkish Accreditation Agency (TURKAK-Türk Akreditasyon Kurumu) website. There exist only 10 universities having accredited laboratories in terms of water quality parameters in Turkey. Furthermore, 11 public institutions and 71 private sectors in Turkey have accredited laboratories related to environmental quality parameters. The most remarkable accredited water parameters are considered and the frequencies according to these parameters are calculated. Results. University laboratories are examined in terms of 42 water quality parameters. The universities which have the most accredited laboratories with regard to water quality parameters are Dokuz Eylul University and Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University, respectively. All of the public institutions are accredited both in environmental parameters and all water quality parameters, while the private institutions are only accredited in environmental parameters without accreditation in water quality parameters. Of the private establishments with accredited laboratories, only 44 are accredited in terms of water quality parameters. Conclusions. Findings show that the number of institutions with accredited laboratory in Turkey is very inadequate. Key words: water quality parameters, ISO 17025, laboratory accreditation.