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New technologies routinely outpace the standards that define how to test them. In 2024, ASTM International closed several of those gaps. Its committees approved specifications for electric vehicle coolants, ambient outdoor air quality sensors, and computer-vision drowning detection systems, and published a flood damage resistance specification more than a decade in the making.
Key Insights
- Several of these standards create new third-party testing demand rather than formalizing existing work.
- ASTM D8559 assigns air sensor evaluations to entities that operate under laboratory quality standards such as ISO/IEC 17025.
- Two related work items on helmet rotational testing and flight control endurance remained in development at announcement.
| Standard | Committee | Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| D8565 | D15 Engine Coolants | Glycol-based coolant for fuel cell electric vehicles | Approved 2024 |
| D8566 | D15 Engine Coolants | Low-conductivity glycol-based coolant for EVs | Approved 2024 |
| D8567 | D15 Engine Coolants | HPLC test method for azoles and organic acids in coolants | Approved 2024 |
| D8559 | D22 Air Quality | Performance criteria for outdoor air quality sensors | Published 2024 |
| F3698 | F15 Consumer Products | Computer-vision drowning detection for residential pools | Published 2024 |
| E3369 | E06 Performance of Buildings | Flood damage resistance rating of building materials | Published 2024 |
| WK81691 | F08 Sports Equipment | Helmet testing under rotational loading with head-neck apparatus | Work item |
| WK89561 | F44 General Aviation Aircraft | Endurance testing of small-airplane flight control systems | Work item |
Electric Vehicle Coolants Get Dedicated Specifications
ASTM’s engine coolants committee (D15) approved two glycol-based coolant standards for electrified vehicles. D8565 covers fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), where coolant contacts the fuel cell stack. D8566 covers battery EVs and requires low electrical conductivity to limit harm if coolant reaches the batteries. The D15 committee also opened work items for a dielectric coolant (WK80854) and nonaqueous EV coolants (WK87295).
A month earlier, D15 approved D8567, an HPLC method for azoles and organic acids in engine coolants. ASTM listed contract laboratories already running coolant analysis among the method’s intended users. New product specifications paired with a new test method point to a growing EV fluids segment for automotive and chemistry and compound analysis labs.
First Performance Criteria for Outdoor Air Quality Sensors
The air quality committee (D22) approved D8559, a specification for ambient outdoor air quality sensors and sensor-based instruments. It sets performance criteria for sensors measuring PM2.5, PM10, sulfur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide, using evaluation procedures from companion practice D8406. ASTM describes the pair as the first published performance standards for sensors covering both gases and particulate matter.
The D8559 also defines who conducts the evaluation. Its scope calls for a competent entity operating in conformity with laboratory quality standards such as ISO/IEC 17025. For environmental testing labs, that establishes a defined third-party pathway as low-cost sensor networks expand across cities and industrial sites.
A Performance Benchmark for Pool Drowning Detection
The consumer products committee (F15) published F3698, the first standard for computer-vision drowning detection systems in residential pools. Covered systems must signal within 30 seconds that a person is drowning or showing drowning behavior. They must also warn users of low-visibility conditions and avoid creating hazards through their connectivity.
ASTM subcommittee lead Tamar Avraham, citing National Drowning Prevention Alliance data in a press release, noted that most child drownings occur with at least one adult present. The F3698 gives consumer goods and electrical testing labs measurable criteria for a product category that previously had none.
Flood Damage Resistance Moves from Proposal to Specification
ASTM’s buildings committee (E06) first proposed a flood damage resistance rating standard in 2012. That effort produced ASTM E3369-24, which determines whether building materials qualify as flood-damage-resistant under National Flood Insurance Program rules (44 CFR 60.3(a)(3)). Labs test materials as part of an assembly representing end-use configuration. Companion method ASTM E3075 sets the water immersion, drying, and cleaning procedures.
The specification replaces a qualitative baseline. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Technical Bulletin 2 classified materials as acceptable or unacceptable for below-flood-elevation use but, as ASTM’s work item rationale notes, offered no quantitative pass/fail criteria. Construction and building materials manufacturers now have a defined test route.
Work Items to Watch: Helmets and Flight Controls
Around two 2024 announcements described standards in development rather than approved documents. The sports equipment committee (F08) is drafting WK81691, which would test helmets under angled impacts using a high-fidelity head-and-neck apparatus. Conventional drop tests measure linear forces with a headform alone. The work item extends existing rotational methods such as F3555, which uses an inclined anvil.
The general aviation aircraft committee (F44) is developing WK89561 to guide endurance testing of small-airplane flight control systems. It would address test timing, pass/fail criteria, and environmental conditions. Mechanical and structural testing labs can track both on ASTM’s work item pages.
Find Accredited Labs for New ASTM Test Methods
Review ASTM Standardization News for committee updates and newly approved standards. Explore Contract Laboratory’s coverage of ISO 9001:2026 quality management changes for related compliance context. Accredited materials evaluation and testing labs can support ASTM method work when in-house capacity is limited.
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This article was created with the assistance of Generative AI and has undergone editorial review before publishing.