Chemists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology recently demonstrated that their measurements of lead in wine are among the most accurate in the world. NIST was one of 14 National Measurement Institutes participating in an international pilot study of how accurately the official national standards agencies measure lead in wine.

NIST chemists made the exceptionally accurate measurements of trace amounts of lead in wine in a new Advanced Chemical Sciences Laboratory clean room facility in Gaithersburg, Md. This chemistry clean room has specailly designed air handling and work space structures so metal contamination is substantially reduced. The air is continuously filtered to remove particles. These special features allow scientists to measure metals, such as lead, in an environment that greatly diminishes the risk of contaminating a sample.

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