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As some may known I continue to write an occasional blog on the subject of Extractables and Leachables, so I’d like to start by wishing everyone a happy year-end and perhaps for some a restful break.
Since as I write this there is snow on the ground here, and my thoughts are turning to my Xmas meal. I would give this blog entry a little festive feel. So one of the things that comes to mind is Good King Wenceslaus and the traditional song of where snow is deep, and crisp and even! Well as with all things the reality can be different, poor old Wenceslas may have been murdered by his younger brother (Boleslaus the Cruel).
Good King Wences'las looked out
on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even;
So how does this relate to Extractables and Leachables you may be thinking at this point? Well perhaps what I want to say here is there is always a deeper story to be told and that is certainty true in this topic area.
Too often we rush to test for either extractables or leachables without pausing to reflect on why we are undertaking the work or indeed is in necessary at all.
There is lots of uncertainty in both extractable or leachable testing and without resolving some of that uncertainty the risks can seem higher than they actually are and lead to false conclusions.
In November, I presented at E&L Europe, with the topic:
“The Role of Uncertainty in E&L”
That covered some of these points, and it's a topic I intent to return to in 2023.
Moreover, when we have tested and obtained our results; How much do we get from them?
I would suggest too often we rush to assign an amount and identity without spending the time to consider, if the identity is consistent with our knowledge of the materials being tested and what we know and if the amounts are useful for the purposes we have in mind.
If we don’t know enough to make this test, then I suggest we should pause and reflect and gather that information.
So as 2022, draws to a close. I hope you continue follow my occasional series. My other blogs can be found here. If you have any requests for future topics let me know.
I’ll finish with an image from the UK of M25 motorway, after our 1st snow of the season. A little different from our Xmas card image of snow?
