Standardization News

Water-Related Programs Highlight Recent Collaboration

Bridging Asia and Europe, Turkey borders countries on both continents and boasts coastlines along the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Its nearly 80 million inhabitants reside mainly in urban areas, including more than 10 million in the city of Istanbul and close to four million in the capital of Ankara. Its economy leans toward industry and services, with the automotive, construction and electronics sectors becoming more important in addition to textiles and clothing. Of growing significance are energy-related endeavors as notably, since 2006, oil has flowed through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline to the Turkish coast on its way to international markets.

TSE and the ASTM MOU

Turkey's national standards body, Türk Standardlari Enstitüsü, was established in 1954 and became autonomous in 1960. TSE has responsibility for standards development; testing and calibration laboratories; certification for products, services, systems, personnel, conformity to automotive legislation and CE marking; training; surveillance and inspection. TSE represents Turkey in several organizations, including the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and others. More than 73 TSE committees mirror ISO/IEC and CEN/CENELEC groups. As a full member of CEN and CENELEC, TSE harmonizes and implements European standards as Turkish standards; it also uses ASTM International standards and participates in their development.

TSE, a memorandum of understanding partner with ASTM International since 2003, has used more than 800 ASTM standards from over 70 ASTM technical committees as normative references, as the basis for Turkish national standards or for consultation. In 2012, TSE referenced standards from numerous technical committees, particularly from D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials and Applications, D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants, D19 on Water and D20 on Plastics. In addition, Turkish ASTM members serve on ASTM committees from steel and textiles to concrete and plastics, nuclear technology to medical products and sustainability.

MOU News

The TSE and ASTM MOU partnership has facilitated communication and built cooperation. Training provides a tangible example of this cooperation, which includes the participation of Bekir Çengelci, a director in the TSE president's office, in the 2012 ASTM Standards Expert Program. Also highlighting the cooperation is the December 2012 visit to Turkey by Jay Gandhi, Ph.D., to discuss ASTM International with government ministry representatives at TSE headquarters and to present at an international symposium on industrial water technologies. Gandhi is regulatory affairs manager for Metrohm USA, Riverview, Fla., and chairman, ASTM Subcommittee D19.05 on Inorganic Constituents in Water, part of Committee D19 on Water. Water is of concern in Turkey because of its limited quantity and quality.

At TSE, Gandhi spoke with some 20 representatives of various Turkish government ministries - agriculture, environment, health and petroleum among them - about water standards used for the analysis of organics and inorganics as well as how tests are used to help control water quality. He says that his meeting involved discussion of several standards areas, including plastics and petroleum, in addition to water.

At ENSUTEK, the 1st International Industrial Water Technologies Symposium and Fair in Bursa, Turkey, which was largely geared toward water contaminants and purification, Gandhi contributed a presentation about ASTM International, Committee D19 and its development of water standards. Gandhi says, "As countries like Turkey bring their quality of life to a higher standard, ASTM standards help them in this journey much faster with less effort, especially for universal precious commodities like water."

Learn more about the ASTM International MOU Program.