Perspective of Voluntary Consensus Standard Bodies

Plenary Session
Oral Presentation

Prepared by W. Lipps
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, 10330 Old Columbia Road, Columbia, Maryland, 21046, United States


Contact Information: [email protected]; 443-656-9255

ABSTRACT

Voluntary Consensus Standard Bodies, or VCSBs, are independent, non-government organizations composed of volunteer experts devoted to the development of test methods, specifications, guidance and other documents that reflect the consensus of its members, usually the regulated industry, national, state, or local regulatory agencies, manufacturers, academia, trade organizations, commercial laboratories, municipal laboratories, and any others with interest in the scope of the particular VCSB committee. For water and environmental testing in the United States, the predominant VCSBs are ASTM International and Standard Methods. Each of these operate according to international guidance for VCSBs, so that standards developed share a commonality in validation approaches minimizing impediments to international use and barriers to international trade. Each organization follows a basic pattern of proposal, drafting and review, and consensus approval followed by publication. In each step, global experts review and verify that the development, operation, and validation of methods is compliant with the VCSBs own rules and that the data generated by methods are suitable for the intended use, which may include testing for compliance with federal and international regulations. In essence, the VCSB method development process provides a framework for international consistency resulting in reliable, globally compatible test methods and standards.

This presentation covers the basic steps for environmental method development and validation at VCSBs including ASTM, Standard Methods, and ISO. Similarities and differences will be presented.