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ENFSI FEL Network

Definition

The European Network of Forensic Science Institutes Forensic Explosives Laboratory Network, linking national forensic explosives laboratories across 18 EU member states. Maintains harmonised protocols for post-blast IC, LC-MS, and inter-laboratory proficiency testing.

Full name
ENFSI Forensic Explosives Laboratory Network
Membership
National forensic explosives laboratories across 18 EU member states
Maintains
Harmonised protocols for post-blast IC, LC-MS analysis
Also runs
Inter-laboratory proficiency testing

Common questions

What does 'harmonised protocol' mean for post-blast IC and LC-MS analysis specifically?+

It means member laboratories follow a shared sample preparation, run, and interpretation sequence for ion chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry on post-blast residue, so a result reported by one country's laboratory is directly comparable to another's without re-validating the method.

Why does explosives analysis need a dedicated laboratory network rather than relying on the general ENFSI EWG?+

The EWG sets discipline-wide standards, while the FEL Network is the operational body that actually links the labs performing casework, running shared proficiency tests and enabling direct case-to-case comparison across borders.

Related terms

EGDN (Ethylene Glycol Dinitrate)
A volatile nitrate ester component of dynamite-type commercial explosives. Its high vapour pressure and long soil migration distance make it a reliable...
Electron Ionisation (EI)
The standard ionisation mode in GC-MS, using a 70 eV electron beam in high vacuum to ionise and fragment vapour-phase analytes. Produces...
Energy-Dispersive XRF (ED-XRF)
An XRF configuration in which characteristic X-rays from all excited elements are detected simultaneously by a silicon drift detector. Used in handheld...
Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM)
A triple-quadrupole LC-MS/MS acquisition mode in which Q1 selects a precursor ion, Q2 fragments it, and Q3 detects a specific product ion....
SEM-EDX
Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electron beam excites characteristic X-rays from each element present in the target grain, giving...
Spheroidal Propellant Particle
A smooth, approximately spherical particle of ball-type smokeless powder 50-300 micrometres in diameter, identifiable under SEM by its distinctive morphology. Presence in...
Split-Sample Protocol
The practice of dividing a forensic extract into two portions before analysis, one for prosecution analysis and one archived for potential defence...
Suppressed Conductivity IC
An ion chromatography detection method in which a membrane suppressor chemically neutralises the background eluent conductivity, leaving only the analyte ions as...
SWGMAT
Scientific Working Group for Materials Analysis, a US forensic science standards body (now succeeded by the OSAC Explosives Subcommittee). Published the Forensic...

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