May 17, 2019

A new ASTM International standard from its primary barrier packaging committee (F02) aims to support the safety of liquid consumer products by testing restricted delivery devices (commonly known as “flow restrictors”) that help prevent children’s access. 

Flow restrictors are added to the neck of products such as bottles of medicine to control the release of liquid, according to Mark Plezia, associate principal scientist with Merck.  The new standard (soon to be published as F3375) uses mechanical testing to simulate shaking, sucking, and squeezing of liquid packaging, which are common ways young children can gain access to potentially harmful liquid products. 

“This standard is a tool that could help manufacturers design and evaluate innovative ways to limit the amount of harmful liquid that may be released if and when, for whatever reason, a child-resistant closure is breached,” said Plezia. “While flow-restrictor devices are already available, there have been no voluntary consensus standards to assess their efficacy until now.” 

The committee welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN. The next meeting of the committee is October 23-24 in Houston, Texas (USA). 

To purchase standards, contact ASTM International customer relations (tel +1.877.909.ASTM; sales@astm.org).

Media Inquiries: Dan Bergels, tel +1.610.832.9602; dbergels@astm.org
Committee Contact: Jimmy Farrell, tel +1.610.832.9661; jfarrell@astm.org 

Release #10795