ASTM International Committee E55 on Pharmaceutical Application of Process Analytical Technology has created a new subcommittee, E55.03 on General Pharmaceutical Standards, which will address issues on quality within a broad framework of chemistry, manufacturing and control.

A new ASTM International standard will assist aerospace companies that are purchasing fine grain titanium alloys. The standard, E 2448, Test Method for Determining the Superplastic Properties of Metallic Sheet Materials, has been developed by ASTM Subcommittee E28.02 on Ductility and Flexure Testing, which is under the jurisdiction of Committee E28 on Mechanical Testing.

The mass murder at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., in 1999 brought the subject of school security into the U.S. national spotlight and subsequent events, including other school-related incidents and the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have kept it there. A proposed new ASTM International standard will help schools and school districts prepare for and mitigate against both large-scale natural and man-caused disaster, as well as isolated violent events that occur within schools.

Over the last three years, single-point spray systems have emerged as a leading form of oil spill dispersant, which has led to the development of a new standard by ASTM International Committee F20 on Hazardous Substances and Oil Spill Response. The standard, F 2465, Guide for Oil Spill Dispersant Application Equipment: Single-Point Spray Systems, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F20.13 on Treatment.

Fostering government support for ASTM International Committee F23 on Protective Clothing and other standards developing committees related to protective clothing is the central goal of a new memorandum of understanding recently signed by ASTM International and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety. The agreement highlights the role of the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pa. to support standards development work related to personal protective clothing and equipment.

A revolutionary new ASTM International standard will change the way in which healthcare professionals preserve and transfer healthcare information about their patients. The standard, E 2369, Specification for Continuity of Care Record (CCR), was developed by Subcommittee E31.28 on Electronic Health Records, which is under the jurisdiction of Committee E31 on Healthcare Informatics.

ASTM International Committee E31 on Healthcare Informatics has approved a new standard that will aid in defining the application of existing conventions for the structure and content of electronic health record systems that are used to support healthcare practitioners in a workplace setting. The standard, E 2473, Guide for the Occupational/Environmental Health View of the Electronic Health Record, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee E31.19 on Electronic Health Record Content and Structure.

According to a report published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in April 2005, more than 10,000 emergency room-treated injuries and 49 deaths have been attributed to powered scooters since 1998. With these statistics in mind, ASTM International’s Committee F15 on Consumer Products has formed a new subcommittee, F15.58 on Powered Scooters and Skateboards. The subcommittee was formed at an organizational meeting in October 2005.