Technical issues with test methods and reference materials identified by ASTM Committee F40 on Declarable Substances in Materials will be among the topics discussed at a workshop hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in October. The goal of the workshop is to assist U.S. manufacturers and their supply chains in meeting new environmental regulations that restrict the use of hazardous substances in electronics and a wide range of consumer products.

An urgent challenge faced by U.S. industry is compliance with the European Union Directive on Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS), effective July 2006. RoHS restricts lead (widely used in solder), mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium (used to inhibit corrosion), and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants (in plastic housings of electrical appliances).

The goals of the NIST workshop are to assess the measurement and standards needs of industry as they respond to the restrictions, and to collaboratively produce a plan that addresses international standards issues and helps U.S. manufacturers to access the global market. ASTM Committee F40, founded in 2005, addresses issues related to the development of standards for the evaluation of materials/products relative to RoHS (and similar) requirements.

The Restricted Substances in Materials: Testing and Reporting Procedures Workshop will be held at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Md., Oct. 5-7. Registration and preliminary program information can be found at http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/confpage/conflist.htm/. Reporters interested in attending should contact Michael Baum, NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. (phone: 301/975-2763; michael.baum@nist.gov).

Release #7201