ASTM F2577-22

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE 4.1 Regulations, standards, and market-defined requirements for chemical constituent (“substances of interest”) compliance and conformance have become increasing numerous and complex. Specific laws and standards may pertain to certain product and industry segments, for example, electrical/electronic instruments and components, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products, agrichemicals, and so forth. Others may be broader and relate specifically to assessment and management of specific chemical compounds or classes across multiple product sectors and sources, for example Ref (2). In addition, such requirements may be issued by national authorities, international standards setting groups, or, in the case of market-defined requirements, even by customer advocacy organizations or customers through supply contracts. The resulting global landscape of requirements and market access expectations is complex, and compliance/conformance presents numerous challenges for manufacturers. Note 1: For example, IEC 62474:2012 provides some standardized definitions for reporting thresholds and declaration statements for electrotechnical industry. In another example, ISO 14021:2016 addresses self-declared environmental claims. 4.2 Declarable substances may be found on various lists and forms, including those listed in Refs (2-10) and on supply agreements and questionnaires. This guide is not intended to be exhaustive nor cover all declarable substances. Nor does this guide address specific declaration and labeling requirements within these regulation and standards nor address product safety and compliance requirements as dictated by law for specific products, industries, or market regions. 4.3 In addition to new laws and standards, more chemical substances are continually added to a variety of screening lists for review of potential hazards, identification and quantification of possible health or environmental hazards, or both, and consideration of control measures. To ... SCOPE 1.1 This guide uses case studies to illustrate the decision process to assess materials and products for declarable substances when evaluating conformance to relevant requirements. This may be accomplished by applying existing knowledge to determine the need for further action (for example, testing). 1.2 This guide assists in utilization and interpretation of various forms of information gathered to enable compliance or conformance or both to regulations, standards, supply agreements, or customer enquiries related to identified declarable substances, including the evidence required to issue declarations for the absence or presence of a declarable substance. Several examples are referenced. The target declarable substances will be specific to the product and product classification, the regulatory jurisdiction, customer/supplier requirements, and other relevant considerations. Consideration of which regulations and standards apply to a given product is beyond the scope of this guide. 1.3 The framework covered in this guide attempts to harmonize language used in the absence of objective data or specific regulatory requirements or both. This guide draws on a variety of existing documentation, which will be cited and referenced, as well as basic scientific principles for communication of chemical hazard and risk, and may be used as an approach for assessing composition of products and their components as part of product risk assessment. 1.4 This guide is applicable to a variety of materials, including polymeric and elastomeric materials, which are used in regulated industries and products. 1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. 1.6 This international st...