ASTM International Outreach in Latin America

11 countries. 3 continents. More than 135 participants.

A recent ASTM International virtual meeting of concrete industry representatives in 11 countries on three continents, highlighted by a presentation on the nondestructive testing of concrete, brought together industry professionals around the globe, including participants using the ASTM Online Centers.

Both the virtual meeting program and the Online Center participation comprise important aspects of ASTM International’s outreach from Panama to Peru and Jamaica to Colombia. The Online Centers give access to standards in eight countries: Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela.

And through ASTM International’s memorandum of understanding program, which includes agreements with 18 nations in Latin America, including Central and South America, and the Caribbean, ASTM International promotes communication between each signatory national standards body and ASTM and facilitates standards development to aid each country’s health, safety, environmental and economic conditions. Virtual meetings, special webinars and technical assistance programs, and Standards Expert Exchange Programs are held as a result of the MOU program. In addition, MOUs further encourage technical expert participation in the standards development process.

Latin America and ASTM at a Glance

• 1,000+ members from Central and South America and the Caribbean
• 2 participants, from Colombia and Peru, in the Standards Expert Exchange Program
• 47 standards referenced by ACI 318-05S, Spanish Edition Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, translated into Spanish
• 5 countries – Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Mexico — involved in 3 technical assistance programs — concrete, plastics and statistics in 2008
• 8 Online Centers: Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, Mexico
• 6 technical areas — ball bearings, cathodic protection, cement and concrete, coatings, corrosion, environmental — covered in training courses taught in Spanish

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