New Specification for ASTM D37 Vape Device Safety & Testing Initiative Task Group
1. Scope
ASTM D37.03 + D37.08 “Joint” Vape Device Safety and Testing Initiative Task Group was established to foster collaboration between industry, consumers and regulators of cannabinoid-containing vape products for the purpose of developing needed quality and safety standards for ensuring device performance and consumer and environmental protection through a focused effort.
This Task Group is intended to function much like any other ASTM subcommittee, can coordinate the development of multiple work items at once, and has been authorized to initiate as many work items as its members want to attempt. The goal of this Initiative is to create as many ASTM standards as possible while mentoring the next generation of standards development champions within the ASTM D37.
The standards this Task Group will prioritize include terminology, classifications, specifications, and test method that will help with the analysis and characterization of chemical constituents, section of materials of construction, and normalization of industry best practices.
Areas of Focus:
Topography and Performance;
Aerosolized Vapors and Emissions;
Device/Hardware Design;
Components and Interactions Therewith; and
Consumer Usage Characteristics.
The Importance of Standards: (Why are we doing this - an example)
The majority of the components used in the manufacture of vaporizer devices are produced by third-parties. Critical components such as the atomizer cores are made from ceramic materials that require precise conditions to form complete crystal lattices. Most of this ceramic is simply poured into a mold with some exposed wire and fired to form the "atomizer". If the ceramic crystals are not perfectly formed into spheres, when they solidify the porosity of the atomizers is impacted, but more importantly the imperfectly formed spheres can crack and flake. These flakes, or rather shards, of ceramic are nanoparticle sized and are mobilized when someone inhales through the device. So quite literally these devices are endangering the consumer each time they use them. Right now the vaporizer device industry is focused on getting better porosity, but what that really means is they need better control over the ceramic forming process to ensure adequate sphere formation has been achieved. This is where standards can help improve consumer safety but also with the performance of the device.
