A roadmap toward the harmonization of global VOC specifications

摘要

The Molded Polyurethane Foam Industry Panel (the Industry Panel) is pursuing a science-based approach to create a"roadmap"industry standard for providing recommendations and defining best practices for measuring volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from automotive interior flexible molded polyurethane seating foam.The proposed industry standard will address the interests and requirements of OEMs in the three major global automotive markets:North America,Europe,and Asia.The comprehensive standard will leverage existing consensus standards from ASTM International,SAE International,ISO,VDA along with existing automotive OEM test methods to draft four best practice documents:(1) Foam processing and handling,sample production,conditioning,packaging,storage,shipment,and specimen preparation,(2) Test methods to measure VOC emissions,e.g.chambers,air sampling and analytical methods,(3) Data analysis and expression of results,and (4) Description and flowchart of combined documents-Unification document to form a comprehensive VOC Roadmap.This paper will discuss the Industry Panel’s approach for proposing an industry standard.The document was drafted using a collaborative website approach in order to get input from all of the VOC Roadmap team members.A comprehensive review of automotive emissions standards for measuring VOCs from components and materials was conducted to evaluate current practices that are used by the automotive industry.Many aspects of the standards such as sample collection,handling and conditioning requirements were compared to identify similarities,conflicts,and potential areas that may require clarification or research.A collaborative survey with stakeholders was done to determine which methods are being used and to obtain feedback from potential users of the standard.The results from the survey were useful to help harmonize the methods that are covered in the proposed standard.