20.500.12556/DiRROS-29251 Method development and production of an ambient-stable blood certified reference material for total mercury, methylmercury, and trace elements Background. Certified reference materials (CRMs) for mercury speciation of biological fluids have hitherto been limited to frozen or cold-storage types, which impedes the participation of laboratories in tropical or remote regions. Existing CRMs often do not fully meet user needs, particularly regarding storage stability and concentration relevance. Results. Using pooled Japanese human blood, we developed a freeze-dried, ambient-stable blood CRM, with certified values of 6.16 μg L−1 for total mercury (THg) and 5.46 μg L−1 for methylmercury (MeHg, as Hg). These concentrations are congruent with median exposure levels in fish-consuming populations (e.g., small island states and riverine Amazonian communities) derived from global biomonitoring data. Homogeneity, stability, and traceability were validated through inter-laboratory comparisons and rigorous uncertainty assessment. Significance. This ambient-stable blood CRM broadens global access to high-quality QA/QC of mercury speciation, especially in regions lacking cold-chain infrastructure. It contributes to capacity building under the Minamata Convention and strengthens interlaboratory comparability. Registration in COMAR and international collaborative deployment are under active development, enhancing the global infrastructure for mercury biomonitoring. passive monitoring methylmercury blood samples mercury detection human biomonitoring trace elements certificirani referenčni materiali metilirano živo rebro krvni vzorci zaznavanja živega srebra humani biomonitoring elementi v sledovih true false true Elsevier Nizozemska Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 The Authors. Neznano 2026-05-04 13:45:07 2026-05-04 13:45:07 2026-05-05 03:45:45 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Soavtorice iz Slovenije: Milena Horvat, Ermira Begu, Polona Klemenčič, Adna Alilović; Opis vira z dne 30. 4. 2026; str. 1-11 Vol. 1409, [article no.] 345580 Aug. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-12-04 2026-04-23 2026-04-25 543 1873-4324 10.1016/j.aca.2026.345580 276799747 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003267026005301?via%3Dihub 1 b4373c55-47ae-11f1-969d-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=43767 RAZ_Haraguchi_Koichi_2026.pdf RAZ_Haraguchi_Koichi_2026.pdf 1 DF66BE6CD967A638FB46895FF553CAA0 05ebbc743efa38ce68f24f653b6e8bc7f459c2a721f4c66a09f09fe196e678af f2cd4d72-47ae-11f1-969d-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=43768 Institut Jožef Stefan 0 0 0