Standardization News

A new ASTM International standard aims to help protect workers and property during routine operations at nuclear facilities.

ASTM International’s committee on nuclear technology and applications (E10) developed the standard (E3191), which provides guidance on permanent foam coatings – applied to various facility surfaces – that reduce:

• Migration of contamination into or along buildings, equipment, and other surfaces;
• Resuspension of contamination in the air; and,
• Spread of contamination from external forces such as pedestrian traffic and fire.

According to ASTM International member James Nicholson, the new standard builds on two existing standards (E3104 and E3105) that also cover these non-removable foams, sometimes known as “three-dimensional contamination platforms.”

Nicholson says these standards give a performance metric not previously available to commercial and government entities, helping support regulatory compliance and worker safety.