W. CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — On Jan. 18, 2005, ASTM International will hold an organizational meeting to discuss the development of consensus standards for nanotechnology.
The meeting will take place at ASTM International’s headquarters here.
At a planning meeting held on Oct. 1, key representatives from the many stakeholders affected by the nanotech space, including the government (NIST, U.S. FDA), academic (CBEN/Rice University), legal and industrial sectors unanimously agreed to hold an organizational meeting for the development of this new activity within ASTM International.
Various disciplines, including consumers, manufacturers, suppliers, trade and professional societies and federal agencies are being invited to participate.
Attendees at the planning meeting recognized that while research into properties, synthesis and applications of nanostructures is growing at an exponential rate, there does not presently exist a common language to describe the chemical compositions and physical forms of these new materials.
This absence hampers technical communication within the myriad fields involved in this space, and prevents outreach to the public at large as products containing nano- materials enter the marketplace.
ASTM International said it is ready to accommodate this new standardization initiative. Stakeholder involvement at this meeting is critical to guide the direction for this new activity.
The time is now for participation in a neutral forum whereby the private and public sectors can work together to develop a consensus standards program, according to ASTM International.
ASTM International provides a management system for the development of standards and related information for materials, products, systems and services used globally. All segments of an industry (producers, users, consumers, government and academia) participate in the development of this information to ensure that all technical points of view are represented.
For more information, contact Pat A. Picariello, director of Developmental Operations, ASTM International by phone at (610) 832-9720 or by e-mail at ppicarie@astm.org.
