March 3, 2010: AOAC INTERNATIONAL (AOAC), and the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), announce the availability of a draft revision of ASTM Standard E2458-06, Standard Practice for Bulk Sample Collection and Swab Sample Collection of Visible Powders Suspected of Being Biological Agents from Nonporous Surfaces. The document is open for public comment. Also available for public comment is a corresponding guidance document, Operational Guidelines for Initial Response to a Suspected Biothreat Agent, focused on coordinating emergency response networks and efforts.

As AOAC and NIST work to revise the standard to be more consistent with the needs of the responder and public health communities, it is encouraged that stakeholders provide comments that would improve performance and increase confidence in analytical results.

The current ASTM Standard E2458-06 (also approved by AOAC as Official Method^SM 2006.04) was developed in collaboration with public health, public safety, first responders, and law enforcement, through AOAC stakeholder groups, Standards Working Group, and Sampling Standards Task Group. Review of the standard was carried out by AOAC and ASTM, and the final document was published by ASTM. All work was supported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

After review of the current standard by stakeholders from the responders and public health communities, it was determined that the method described in the standard was not inherently flawed; however, there was a lack of sufficient guidance in the standard to support the sample collection—prompting the need for a revision. The communities agreed that a standard method for powder collection was not complete without the guidance to coordinate the response and to handle the cascade of events prior to and resulting from the decision to sample.

Standard procedures for the collection and sampling of suspicious powders are critical in providing confidence in analytical results in the event of accidental or intentional biological contamination. These practices are especially important for responders that are first on the scene and responsible for assessing risk to public safety and determining a course of action through coordinating with the receiving public health laboratory and law enforcement including the FBI.

Comment Process

The public comment period opens on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 and closes Friday, April 2, 2010. Comments will be compiled and reviewed, and the documents may be revised, if necessary, based on comments received. A final draft of the standard will be submitted to AOAC and ASTM for approval.

AOAC requests that the following guidelines be observed in providing comments:

1. For specific comments, please state the line number and/or range of line numbers in each document for which the comment applies.



2. Provide rationale as to why the editor should consider the comment.



3. Please specify if the comment is an editorial, content, or disagreement comment.


a.  Editorial comments provide additional clarification or correct typographical errors.
     Please suggest alternative wording or typographical corrections.

b.  Content-related comments provide technical clarity and comprehensiveness. Please suggest the appropriate technical language.
     Documents will be reviewed by AOAC and ASTM for technical accuracy and clarity.

c.  Disagreement comments reflect a perspective on content documented in the drafts or content not documented in the drafts.
     Please provide language that document the perspective or position.


4. All comments are due within 30 days of the initial posting date (deadline: April 2, 2010). The AOAC-NIST editorial team will address all questions and reserves the right to ignore comments received after the deadline.

To provide comments to the draft revision of ASTM Standard E2458-06, Standard Practice for Bulk Sample Collection and Swab Sample Collection of Visible Powders Suspected of Being Biological Agents from Nonporous Surfaces, visit http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE13THJpYy1wYUNTWVB4ZTFkTlgtV2c6MA. Please cut and paste the link in your browser if the website does not properly load by clicking on the link.

 for Standard Practices for Bulk Sample Collection and Swab Sample Collection of Visible Powders Suspected of Being Biothreat agents from Nonporous Surfaces (Draft Revised E2458-06 03012010)

 for Standard Practices for Bulk Sample Collection and Swab Sample Collection of Visible Powders Suspected of Being Biothreat agents from Nonporous Surfaces (E2458-06 revised 03012010) - Tracked Changes.

 for Draft ASTM Standard Operational Procedure 022010

For technical information on how to provide comments, contact Christopher Dent, AOAC Contract Programs Administrator, at cdent@aoac.org or Tel: 301-924-7077 ext 110.

For general information, contact Arlene Fox, AOAC Senior Director of Proficiency Testing, at afox@aoac.org or Tel: 301-924-7077 ext 143.

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