Jun 27, 2012

ASTM Committee E61 to Maintain and Develop International Standards

ASTM International, one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world, has announced that ASTM Subcommittee E10.01 on Radiation Processing: Dosimetry and Applications has been reorganized as ASTM Committee E61 on Radiation Processing. The new main committee will revise and maintain the existing Subcommittee E10.01 standards and will develop new standards that cover the entire irradiation process, from dosimetry selection to the analysis of routine processing results.

ASTM Subcommittee E10.01 had operated from the mid-1980s as part of ASTM Committee E10 on Nuclear Technology and Applications. With 125 members, 43 percent of whom are from outside the United States, oversight of 38 completed standards, and an emphasis on irradiating processes rather than the nuclear energy technology represented within the rest of Committee E10, the subcommittee’s move to main technical committee status was well justified and will provide increased visibility within the industry.

John Logar, chairman of the new committee and associate director of sterilization science and technology at Ethicon Inc., Somerville, N.J., says, “Having a separate committee puts a new focus on standards for the radiation processing industry. As we look to globalize standards for radiation processing, there’s no better place to start than a committee within ASTM.”

Committee E61 (www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/E61.htm) will continue to sponsor the Workshops on Dosimetry for Radiation Processing, which Subcommittee E10.01 established in 1989. The workshops, which attract participants and attendees from around the world, provide a forum for the dissemination of state-of-the-art scientific and technical information. The Seventh International Workshop on Dosimetry for Radiation Processing took place June 24-28 in San Diego, Calif., and included lectures, practical hands-on exercise and roundtable discussions designed to increase understanding of dosimetry principles, applications and standards. Geared toward researchers, irradiator operators, dosimeter suppliers, regulators, quality assurance personnel, medical product manufacturers and food processors, the program emphasized the application of ASTM and joint International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/ASTM standards.

Irradiating products dates back to the 1950s when the process was first used to sterilize medical devices. Irradiation is still used for this purpose, as well as to destroy pathogens in food and enhance the performance and appearance of materials such as polymer-based products, gemstones, automotive parts, inks used for printing and more. Today the radiation processing industry — which includes irradiating and dosimetry services and equipment to measure the exact dose of radiation absorbed — accounts for some $1 billion worth of irradiated products annually and continues to grow by 5 to 6 percent each year.

For more news in this sector, visit www.astm.org/sn-consumer and www.astm.org/sn-medical or follow us on Twitter @ASTMProductsRec and @ASTMMedical.

ASTM Committee E61 Next Meeting: Jan. 27-29, 2013, Jacksonville, Fla.
ASTM Staff Contact: Joseph Koury, Phone: 610-832-9804; jkoury@astm.org
ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org

Release #9231