NSF International and JWPA Jointly Develop Protocol to Evaluate Iodine in Water Treatment Products
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) member and accredited standards developer NSF International and the Japan Water Purification Association (JWPA) have jointly developed a protocol to evaluate the ability of certain water filtration products to reduce iodine (including radioactive iodine) from drinking water.
NSF and JWPA began work on the protocol following the March 2011 earthquake in Japan to help provide a means to evaluate drinking water systems that reduce radioactive iodine. NSF/JWPA Protocol P72, Drinking Water Treatment Units - Iodine Radioisotope Reduction, was developed by a team of industry experts, including JWPA, the U.S. Army, and scientists at NSF International to validate the performance claims of point-of-use drinking water treatment units to effectively remove all common forms of iodine from drinking water.
BPI Announces Home Energy Upgrade Professional Certifications for U.S. Veterans
The Building Performance Institute (BPI), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has announced professional certifications for U.S. veterans in the field of home energy efficiency upgrades.
According to BPI, the home performance industry is growing in order to meet demand from 300 million people in 130 million homes that need to improve energy efficiency. Skills and experience obtained through military service, BPI says, are highly valued in the industry.
The cost of BPI certification exams has been approved for GI Bill reimbursement. Eligible veterans in the Eastern Region of the U.S. can be reimbursed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs when applications are submitted within one year from the time the test is taken. In the near future, reimbursement for BPI testing will be available nationwide. BPI encourages veterans throughout the U.S. to contact BPI for logistical assistance to help all veterans through the reimbursement process as national approval is established later this year.
New Environmental Management Accounting Standard Turns Waste into Gold, ISO Says
A new standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) aims to increase productivity and reduce environmental impact. ISO 14051:2011, Environmental management - Material flow cost accounting - General framework, assists organizations to better understand the environmental and financial consequences of their material and energy use practices so that they can identify opportunities for improvement.
According to ISO, the standard establishes a management information system approach known as Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA), which can be used to trace and quantify material input and output flows and stocks within an organization. The system helps identify material and energy use practices, and understand these in costs and physical terms. The information can then be applied to reduce losses and increase gains. The standard is applicable to all industries that use materials and energy, and can be implemented by organizations of any type and scale, with or without environmental management systems in place.
ISO 14051 was developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management. ANSI member and accredited standards developer the American Society for Quality administers the ANSI-accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC 207. Click here to learn more.
OASIS Applies for Accreditation as an ANSI ASD
OASIS, an ANSI organizational member, has submitted an application for accreditation as an ANSI accredited standards developer. OASIS's proposed scope of standards activity is as follows:
OASIS develops structured information standards that enable the intelligent use and reuse of information and data in electronic environments. OASIS currently manages 70+ technical committees in the areas of identity, access and security, cloud computing, service oriented architecture, web services, the Smart Grid, electronic publishing, emergency management, and other areas. Each technical committee identifies its specific scope during formation and will individually determine if ANS (American National Standards) are appropriate for its work.
To obtain a copy of OASIS' proposed operating procedures, or to offer comments, please contact Scott McGrath, chief operating officer, OASIS-Open, (781.425.5073; [email protected]). Comments should be submitted by April 23, 2012, with a copy to the recording secretary of ANSI's Executive Standards Council ([email protected]; fax: 212.840.2298).
To view or download a copy of OASIS's proposed operating procedures, click here.