(ASTM: West Conshohocken, PA) -- Standards developed by ASTM International’s technical committees—Committee F20 on Hazardous Substances and Oil Spill Response and Committee E47 on Biological Effects and Environmental Fate—play a role in both the initial response and follow-up to oil spills. The recent spill in the Gulf of Mexico highlights the importance of standards that cover all aspects of oil spill response and cleanup.

Committee F20 on Hazardous Substances and Oil Spill Response

Since its founding in 1975, Committee F20 has developed a wide variety of standards pertaining to performance, durability, strength of systems, and techniques used for the control of oil and hazardous substances. ASTM F20 standards are used for oil response activities around the world.

“Almost everything we have done since 1975 is going to be applied in some way, shape, or form in the Gulf of Mexico spill response,” says Peter Lane, chairman of F20, and president and CEO, Applied Fabric Technologies Inc. Lane also notes that some F20 standards are relevant to the immediate response to the Gulf spill, while others could be used during follow-up procedures once the initial response has been completed.

Subjects covered in F20 standards include containment booms, burning in situ, disperser application, spill operation, shoreline countermeasures, and skimmers and skimmer effectiveness.

Among the most prominent F20 standards are ASTM F1084—“Standard guide for sampling oil/water mixtures for oil spill recovery equipment,” and ASTM F2152—“Standard guide for in situ burning of spilled oil—Fire-resistant boom.” The committee continues to investigate the cutting edge of technology with its proposed new standard under development, ASTM WK24607—“New specification for the design and use of vessel-mounted camera systems for oil spill response.” (The title and scope are in draft form, so it is a “work item.”)

ASTM F20 standards are published in Volume 11.05 of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. In addition, there are 57 F20 standards that address the latest research in oil spill recovery applications and ecological considerations for the use of chemical dispersers and containment of emergency response personnel. They are available in the third edition of the compilation on CD, “ASTM Standards on Hazardous Substances and Oil Spill Response.” The committee also publishes ASTM manuals and special technical publications that contribute to the cutting edge of oil spill response technology.

Members of F20 include stakeholders from the petroleum industry as well as manufacturers, regulators, contractors, end-users, and environmental advocates.

Committee E47 on Biological Effects and Environmental Fate

Standards developed by ASTM International’s Committee E47 are used to measure the effects of toxins in the environment. ASTM E47 standards focus on the effects of physical and chemical stress on aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals (including humans), and those properties of materials that affect and determine their fate, distribution, and persistence when introduced into the environment.

In addition to ASTM standards, Committee E47 is responsible for the 1995 publication, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Fate and Effects in Alaskan Waters, edited by Peter G. Wells, James N. Butler, and Jane Staveley Hughes, the first definitive explanation of the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which occurred in 1989. The book contains 25 peer-reviewed papers that cover these key topics:

• Chemistry and fate of the spill
• Shoreline effects of the spill
• Impact assessment for fish and fisheries
• Impact assessment for wildlife
• Impacts on archaeological sites