title: Second inter-laboratory study comparing endotoxin assay results from cotton dust.
abstract: Previously, a large two-part inter-laboratory round robin endotoxin assay study was completed. This first study showed that when cotton dust samples, which are practically identical, are assayed for endotoxin that the intra- laboratory results had a very small variation while intra-laboratory results of the sample had a very high variation. In the first part of the study, each laboratory followed its own in-house assay protocol; but in the second part of the study, when the extraction protocol was standardized, the inter-laboratory results showed a lower variation, which suggested that with further standardization, further reduction of differences between laboratories might be achieved in order that results between laboratories would become more comparable. The results stimulated interest in extending the study to include cotton dust with two levels of endotoxin, standardization of the extraction protocol, and using the same assay kit from the same production lot. The results of this second round robin endotoxin assay study indicate that differences between laboratories are still high, but most of the laboratories could discern the cotton dusts with the different levels of endotoxin.
authors.affiliation: Cotton Quality Research Station, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 792, Clemson, SC 29633, USA. dtwchun@mindspring.com
authors.forename: David T W
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Britt-Marie
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Jyrki
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liesivuori
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Ragnar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rylander
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Thorne
authors.forename: Eugene M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Varina C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Gunn
authors.forename: Helle
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wurtz
mesh_terms: D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000592:standards; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D003368:Gossypium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D004731:Endotoxins