Incorporation of Revised ASTM Standards That Provide Flexibility in the Use of Alternatives to Mercury-Containing Industrial Thermometers

EPA is promulgating a final rule to incorporate the most recent versions of ASTM International (ASTM) standards into EPA regulations that provide flexibility to use alternatives to mercury- containing industrial thermometers. This final rule will allow the use of such alternatives in certain field and laboratory applications previously impermissible as part of compliance with EPA regulations. EPA believes the older embedded ASTM standards unnecessarily impede the use of effective, comparable, and available alternatives to mercury- containing industrial thermometers. Due to mercury's high toxicity, EPA seeks to reduce potential mercury exposures to humans and the environment by reducing the overall use of mercury-containing products, including mercury-containing industrial thermometers.