Lubricants, The Environment and ASTM D02

The ASTM Committee D02 has two subcommittees co-involved with biodegradability and ecotoxicity. One subcommittee, D02.N on Hydraulic Fluids, is focusing on providing users and producers of hydraulic fluids with information on the environmental impact of the fluids and with a classification system which addresses the pertinent environmental issues. The other subcommittee, D02.12 on Environmental Standards for Lubricants, focuses on methods for measuring the biodegradability and ecotoxicity of lubricants or lubricant components. Both subcommittees are using the long-standing ASTM procedure of building industry consensus to advance their work. Product standards and test methods must address difficult technical and business issues. ASTM's consensus approach will result in technically sound standards that meet the business needs of both producers and consumers of lubricant products.