ASTM INTERNATIONAL

eNewsMARCH 2011  

ASTM eNews is a monthly e-newsletter that features the latest happenings at ASTM International, including technical committee news, publications, meetings, symposia and more. Like ASTM's bimonthly magazine Standardization News, eNews is a free benefit available to all ASTM members.

ASTM Publications

ASTM Standards for Acid Rock Drainage Prediction

STP 1525, Skiing Trauma and Safety: 18th Volume

STP 1527, Pesticide Formulations and Delivery Systems: Regulations and Innovation


STP 1530, Lead-free Solders


ASTM Interactive Catalogs:
2011 Book of Standards
ASTM Products
Construction

     CALENDAR

Committee Weeks

April Committee Week
April 10-15, Anaheim, CA

May Committee Week
May 15-20, Anaheim, CA

June Committee Week
June 12-17, Anaheim, CA
 
Symposia/Workshops  
   
Technical/Professional Training Courses 

ASTM D3241 Heater Tube Rating Workshop
April 26-27, Houston, TX
May 3-4, Los Angeles, CA
May 17-18, Seattle, WA

Aviation Fuels
March 29-31, Tampa, FL

Coal Chemistry Technicians
May 18-19, Anaheim, CA

Corrosion Testing
May 3-4, Akron, OH

Crude Oil
April 18-20, New Orleans, LA

Diesel Fuel
March 22-24, Houston, TX
April 26-28, Conshohocken, PA

Fire Hazards in Oxygen Systems
May 17-18, New Orleans, LA

Flammability of Wearing Apparel
April 27, New York, NY

Flammability of Children's Sleepwear
April 28, New York, NY

Gasoline 
May 17-19, San Francisco, CA

Marine Fuels
May 3-5, West Conshohocken, PA

Phase I Environmental Site Assessment ONLINE COURSE
March 7, Register Online

Phase I/Phase II
Environmental Site
Assessment

April 5-7, Phoenix, AZ
April 26-28, Atlanta, GA
May 17-19, New Orleans, LA
May 24-26, Denver, CO

Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, Commercial Real Estate
April 5-6, San Diego, CA
April 26-27, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
May 10-11, St. Louis, MO
May 24-25, Washington, DC

Plastics
May 10-12, Akron, OH

Property Condition Assessments

April 12-13, Orlando, FL

Risk Based Corrective Action at Petroleum Release Sites
May 10-11, Lansing, MI
 
Rubber Testing
March 10-11, Akron, OH

Vapor Encroachment
Screening on Property for Real Estate Transactions

March 22, Minneapolis, MN
March 23, Detroit, MI
March 24, Cincinnati, OH
April 12, Anaheim, CA
April 19, St. Louis, MO
April 20, Denver, CO
May 10, Conshohocken, PA
May 11, Washington, DC
May 24, Long Island, NY

   




Copyright �2011 ASTM International
 HEADLINES...This month's top stories 
ASTM is Third-Party Certifier for New USDA's New Biobased Label
ASTM International has been selected to provide certification for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's biobased labeling program, a voluntary initiative to identify biobased products and to promote their sale among consumers seeking to purchase goods using renewable resources. As the selected provider, ASTM International will manage the Certification Program for Biobased Products, which will determine the product and package biobased content for manufacturers and vendors that choose to participate. The products will be tested by an outside accredited laboratory according to ASTM standard D6866, Test Methods for Determining the Biobased Content of Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon Analysis. [Full Story] 
New ASTM Committee to Develop Standards for Foreign Language Services
The newly formed ASTM InternationalCommittee F43 on Foreign Language Services and Products held an organizational meeting on Feb. 17 in College Park, Md. This new committee will develop standards that promote best practices for users and providers of language services and products and will serve as a resource on language translation and proficiency for law enforcement, intelligence and other federal agencies. Committee F43 will also address language interpretation, proficiency and foreign language instruction. [Full Story]   
Mercury Removal Initiative
A large effort is under way to phase out the use of mercury thermometers. The effort is a collaboration among the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environment and industry groups, and standards organizations such as ASTM International. ASTM is committed to providing information about the ASTM technical committees and standards involving mercury thermometers, and have encouraged the stakeholders involved to join the affected committees and actively participate in changing the standards in accordance with the ASTM consensus process. Click here for additional information, including a list of ASTM mercury standards.
New Edition of United States Standards Strategy Now Available
The third edition of the United States Standards Strategy (USSS) has been released and is available on the ASTM website. First approved in 2001, the USSS articulates the principles and tactics that guide how the United States develops standards and participates in the international standards-setting process. Modifications in the new edition reflect greater reliance on cross-sector collaborations; increased importance of public-private sector partnerships; enhanced U.S. government efforts to coordinate agency standards activities and engagement; and U.S. government recognition of the integrity of the existing U.S. standards process through active participation in standards development and as a user of standards for regulation and procurement. The USSS is available for download under General Information on the About ASTM page.  
Nominations Welcome for ASTM Board

The ASTM Nominating Committee, appointed annually by the ASTM board of directors, welcomes suggestions for candidates for the following positions on the 2012 board of directors: chairman (one-year term); vice chairman (two-year term); and six directors (three-year terms). Nominations must be received by April 1. Contact Maureen Houck (mhouck@astm.org).

ASTM Annual Business Meeting

The 2011 ASTM Annual Business Meeting will be held at the Members Breakfast on May 18 at the Marriott Anaheim Hotel, Anaheim, Calif., during May committee week. The complimentary breakfast begins at 7 a.m.

Member and Officer Virtual Training 
ASTM continues to offer free one-hour online training courses for all members. Upcoming courses include New Member Orientation, Balloting and Handling Negative VotesWork Item Collaboration Areas, Interlaboratory Studies Program, and Developing and Revising an ASTM Standard. Visit the ASTM website for more information and to register.
ASTM on Social Media
Are you active on social media sites? Don't forget to check out ASTM's pages on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. For ASTM student members, there are separate "student fan" Facebook and Twitter pages.
committeenewsCOMMITTEE NEWS . . . The latest from ASTM's technical committees

3D Imaging

A new Committee E57 task group plans to develop standards on position and orientation (pose) determination, which could help increase productivity in the U.S. manufacturing industry. [Full Story] 

 

Fire Extinguishing Agents 

A new D26 standard will be used to test the efficiency of Halon 1211, which is employed in hand-held fire extinguishers on civilian aircraft. [Full Story]

 
Property Management
Committee E53's new standard clarifies definitions and use of the terms movements, shipments and transfers in regards to tangible property. [Full Story]   

Thermal Insulation  
Two new Committee C16 standards provide important information to both users and installers of radiant barrier systems for thermal insulation. [Full Story]

Leather

A new Committee D31 standard will evaluate the effectiveness of the removal of natural fats and oils from wet blue and wet white for proper leather processing. [Full Story] 


Ships and Marine Technology 

Committee F25's new standard will be used to prevent fire and explosions on the decks of tank vessels used to transport hazardous products. [Full Story]

 

Mold Assessment

Committee D22 has developed a new standard that will provide a go-to reference for anyone testing for mold in buildings. [Full Story]

More GLOBAL NOTES . . . ASTM around the world 

New MOU with Belize  

ASTM International has signed a new memorandum of understanding with the Belize Bureau of Standards. ASTM President James A. Thomas and Jose Trejo, director of the Belize Bureau of Standards, signed the MOU on Feb. 3. The MOU program promotes communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies worldwide. This is the 73rd MOU ASTM has signed with national and regional standards bodies. Click here to learn more. 


ASTM Sponsors Textile Conference in India  

An international conference on Textiles - Light and Weatherfastness, was held Jan. 21 at the Textile Committee Auditorium in Mumbai, India. The conference, the first of its kind in India, was sponsored by ASTM International, Atlas Material Testing Solutions and DyStar.  The conference featured several international speakers who addressed the growing need for technical and high-performance textiles. More than 160 participants attended the live conference on site in Mumbai, while several others from Delhi, Bangalor, Ahmedabad and Tiirupar in India, and Sri Lanka, Germany and the United States were able to attend via Web conference. [Full Story] 

more3DID YOU KNOW? . . .  Standards for the Laundry?

"Tough stain? Try our brand of detergent" is the slogan for many laundering and cleaning products. However, the answer could be  "Tough stain? Check the ASTM standard." Most of us have seen the ads featuring photos of a stained piece of fabric as the "before" picture, with the "after" picture next to it showing a clean fabric with the stain washed away. These ads, which are often used by soap and detergent manufacturers to promote their products, surely influence consumers when deciding which brands to purchase, but did you know there are ASTM standards that cover these very products? ASTM Committee D12 on Soaps and Other Detergents develops standards that cover all aspects important to the soap and detergent industry, including composition, sampling, classification, analysis and quality assurance. Subcommittee D12.12 focuses on the analysis and specifications for soaps, synthetics, detergents and their components. There are D12 standards for evaluating stain removal performance in home laundering, measuring soil removal from artificially soiled products, evaluating fabric softeners, and for color transfer/loss of dyed products. As for other cleaning products used in the home, D12 also covers glassware deposition during mechanical dishwashing, foam stability for hand dishwashing detergents, and cleaning performance of ceramic tile cleaners. The committee is also currently developing a standard to evaluate the cleaning performance of products for use on home kitchen surfaces. And for those who like shortcuts but are unsure if they clean as well as traditional methods, the committee is also working on a new standard that will determine the cleaning efficacy of hard surface cleaning wipes. Whether you consider them chores or not, cleaning and laundry are a part of most of our daily lives, and so are standards.

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