WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — ASTM invites coatings chemists to participate in a project to modify EPA 311 gas chromatographic (GC) method for identification and quantification of VOCs and HAPs in paint and related materials.

The modifications are being developed by task groups of ASTM Subcommittee D01.21 on Chemical Analysis of Paints, a part of Committee D-1 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications. The task groups are working to improve precision of the method and develop new approaches, such as the use of GC/mass spectrometer and solid-phase microextraction/GC.

For more information, contact Hiroshi Fujimoto, Advanced Technologies of Michigan, 5171 Rock Run, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; phone 248/788.9707; or Tim Brooke, ASTM, phone 610/832.9729; e-mail tbrooke@astm.org.

Separately, ASTM officials said they are involved in discussions aimed at seeking greater agreement among international standards related to coatings. “Essentially, we are working to determine how we can better coordinate ASTM and International Standards Organization (ISO) paint standards and make use of standards in the worldwide community easier for the industry,” said Mary McKnight, chairman of ASTM Committee D-1. ASTM said 19 member companies, including several coatings manufacturers, have donated funds to defray meeting expenses related to the standards-development process. More information is available from Mary McKnight, NIST, 100 Bureau Dr., STOP 8621, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8621; phone 301/975.6714; e-mail mary.mcknight@nist.gov.