ASTM INTERNATIONAL

eNews
DECEMBER 2013    

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 Interactive Catalogs

 

 2014 Standards Catalog

 
 2013 Products Catalog

  

   CALENDAR

Committee Week

 
 December
Committee Week
Dec. 8-13,
 Jacksonville, FL


 D02 December
Meetings
Dec. 8-12, Tampa, FL

 January
Committee Week
Jan. 26-31, Houston, TX

       

See more on committee meetings/committee weeks. 


 See all future meetings.

Symposia/Workshops
  Technical/Professional 
Training Courses
 

Aviation Fuels
March 18-20, ASTM HQ

Corrosion Testing
March 25-26, ASTM HQ

Crude Oil
Feb. 24-26, New Orleans, LA

Diesel Fuels
March 25-27, Phoenix, AZ

Gasoline
April 8-9, Phoenix, AZ
April 22-23, ASTM HQ
    

Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessment Processes
March 18-20, ASTM HQ
April 15-17, Atlanta, GA

Plastics, Major Testing Introduction
April 29-May 1, New Orleans, LA 

Property Condition Assessments
March 18-19,
Atlanta, GA

Rubber Testing
April 2-3, Akron, OH

Statistics in ASTM Test Method Development
March 11-12 ASTM HQ
   
Vapor Encroachment onto Property Involved in Real Estate Transactions
April 24, ASTM HQ

Several courses available onsite, including:

ASTM Continuity of Care Record

Light Sport Aircraft

Online training courses in Spanish are available at EnginZone.

 

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ASTM International is
one of the world's largest management systems for the development of voluntary standards and related products and services.

Today, some 12,000 ASTM standards are used around
the world to improve product quality, enhance safety, facilitate market access and trade, and build consumer confidence.


ASTM International meets
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency.

Erin K. Brennan, Editor
ebrennan@astm.org


Copyright �2013 ASTM International
 

 

 

   

 

HEADLINES...This month's top stories 
 
Revised ASTM Standard for Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process is Issued   
A highly anticipated revised issue of ASTM E1527, Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process, has been published. ASTM E1527 is used to identify the potential for releases of hazardous substances or petroleum products that could lead to liability for new property owners if not identified, evaluated, addressed and properly managed. Phase I ESA serves to ensure that current and future property owners are aware of the potential for soil or groundwater impacts from activities conducted long ago and the associated obligations that go with them. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has informed the committee that its process to reference the revised standard as compliant with "All Appropriate Inquiries" regulation should be finalized by the end of the year. [Full Story]  
ASTM Completes Product Category Rules for Single Ply Roofing Membranes   
ASTM International and the Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI) have collaborated to publish Product Category Rules (PCR) for single ply roofing membranes, flexible sheets of compounded synthetic materials that are manufactured to strict requirements. The PCR details the rules and guidelines for developing an environmental declaration for single ply roofing products that fulfill equivalent functions. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are verified to ensure that life cycle assessment (LCA) data accurately describes the environmental aspects of a product. To view a PDF of the new ASTM PCR for Preparing an Environmental Product Declaration for Single Ply Roofing Membranes, visit www.astm.org/EPDs. For more information about developing new PCR and verifying EPDs, contact Chris Surak (csurak@astm.org). [Full Story]  
Reminder - Renew Your ASTM Membership for 2014 
Don't forget to renew your membership for 2014. It is easy to do online at www.astm.org/MEMBERSHIP. View information about the benefits for all membership types: participating, organizational, informational and student, invite a colleague to join or watch and share the Benefits of ASTM Membership video
Nominations Sought for President's Leadership Award 
Nominations are invited for the ASTM International President's Leadership Award. The award salutes the inspiration and positive contributions of individuals early in their ASTM careers who have significantly advanced the Society's mission through extraordinary accomplishment, example and vision. Nominations should include a detailed description of accomplishments, leadership and commitment, as well as relevant examples of achievements that fulfill the award's criteria. All nominations are due to ASTM headquarters by Feb. 1, 2014. For more information, contact Maryann Zamorski (mzamorski@astm.org).  
ASTM Portals Offer Tailored Instant Access 
ASTM Portals provide access to ASTM content, including standards, training, engineering publications, translations and more, in one platform. When you build a subscription, your entire staff can instantly connect to the ASTM informational materials they need. Special features include tools for adding notes, images and attachments for sharing with your staff; color-coded highlighting that identifies changes to standards; translated standards; and access to the thousands of papers and books in the ASTM Standards and Engineering Digital Library. Visit portal.astm.org. To order, contact sales@astm.org. [Full Story] 
ASTM Member and Officer Training 
ASTM offers free one-hour online training courses for members. Upcoming courses include New Member Orientation and Training (Jan. 8) and Balloting and Handling Negative Votes (Jan. 22)On-Demand tutorials include Strategic Planning and New Activity Development, Electronic Balloting and more. Visit www.astm.org/MEMBER_TRAINING.

COMMITTEE NEWS . . . The latest from ASTM's technical committees

   

Shipbuilding
Committee F25 is developing a standard for testing firestop penetration devices for cables and other installation methods that do not conform to examples in the International Maritime Organization's Fire Test Procedures Code. [Full Story] 
 

Water Quality  

Committee D19 is developing a new test method for turbidity, one of the most basic ways to assess water quality. [Full Story] 
 

Floor Tile  

A new Committee F06 standard specifies requirements for cork floor tile, a common floor and wall covering for both residential and commercial use. [Full Story]

Greener Cleanups  

A new Committee E50 standard addresses greener practices for managing contaminated properties through site assessment and cleanup projects. [Full Story]    

 
Hip Implants    
A proposed standard from Committee F04 will provide a guide for the collection and analysis of explanted hip implants. [Full Story] 

Fatigue and Fracture   

Committee E08's latest standard will enable fracture toughness testing on defects that are directly analogous to those commonly found in structural applications. [Full Story] 

 

Aromatics
Four new D16 standards will be used to determine the presence of impurities in purified terephthalic acid, a major raw material for polymer and plastic manufacture used in making polyester fiber, resin and film. [Full Story] 
 

Rare Earth Elements

Committee F40's latest proposed standard addresses the identification of rare earth elements in rare earth materials, which are used in a wide variety of products, from cell phones to electric cars. [Full Story] 

Thermal Measurements

Committee E37 is working on a standard for rotational viscometry, a tool used to determine the viscosity of fluids, including paints, petroleum products and polymer solutions[Full Story] 
 

External Fire Exposures 

A proposed Committee E05 standard will be used to alleviate the issue of fire conditions that exist due to eaves and other projections in structures that exist in wildland-urban interface areas. [Full Story]

Molecular Spectroscopy

Committee E13 has published a significant revision to its standard guide for laboratory informatics. [Full Story] 

Road and Paving

A proposed Committee D04 standard will be used for testing the asphalt used in common pavements. [Full Story]   
   

GLOBAL NOTES  . . . ASTM Around the World  

 

Zhejiang Province Group Trains at ASTM Headquarters
A 13-member delegation from Zhejiang Province in China have visited ASTM headquarters for a monthlong intensive training program focused on ASTM standards related to renewable energy and roofing. The program began Nov. 13 and runs through Dec. 11. In addition to training sessions in West Conshohocken, the group gave presentations to ASTM staff on manufacturing and exporting work in China; made related site visits in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas; spent several days at meetings in Washington D.C.; and will wrap up the program with a visit to the ASTM December Committee Week in Jacksonville, FL. 

DID YOU KNOW? . . . Holiday Gift Safety  

 

December's holiday season is the perfect time to remember the importance of safe toy and gift awareness, especially for childrenRemember to always choose age appropriate items and to inspect new toys. ASTM F963, Standard Consumer Specification for Toy Safety, covers toys intended for use by children under 14 years of age, like rattles, teething toys, stuffed toys, stroller toys, battery-operated toys, balls, marbles, squeeze toys and much more. There are also ASTM standards for items on the wish lists that go beyond toys, such as children's jewelry, bicycles, home playground equipmentart materials, toy chests, sports equipment, trampolines, bean bag chairs, portable pools, fun karts, non-powered and powered scooters and skateboards. Never forget that adult supervision is one of the most important factors in preventing children's injuries, toy-related and otherwise. For more information on ASTM's commitment to toy safety, download the toy safety brochure and visit the Committee F15 homepage.