Specimen Banking: Environmental Monitoring and Modern Analytical Approaches

Monitoring the environment and its various compartments is of great importance for future environmental protection. This text represents the state-of-the-art in sampling, storing and characterizing specimens from evironmental, biological and human origin for environmental monitoring. Important storage facilities and the underlying philosophy and strategies are discussed in detail. Emphasis is also given to the analytical characterization of banked samples and the preparation of related reference materials.