TG1 initiated its current activities with the goal of unifying ECMA-328 and RAL-UZ into a single standard. Another goal was to reduce the effect of energy-saving modes of various equipment on the calculation of VOC emission rates. After long discussions nourished by test evidence, TG1 concluded that any new VOC determination methods it had studied did not satisfy all the attributes required for this standard and were not, in total, superior to the current methods. Instead of adopting a single new method, an idea of a revision to ECMA-328 was proposed to make it more practical and useful. According to the proposal, RAL-UZ 205 Options and part of the main body of ECMA-328 are merged creating a modified main body for ECMA-328 and the main body of the current ECMA-328 which specifies the current methods using generalized emission formulae will form the other part of the revised ECMA-328. After this revision, the modified main body of ECMA-328 and “Test method for the determination of emissions from Hard Copy Devices” (RAL-UZ 205) will become almost equivalent and both will be revised concurrently in the future. Discussion on this proposal is ongoing.
Ongoing
- Coordinate future revisions of ISO/IEC 28360
- Maintain liaisons to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 28, IEC/TC 108 and IEC TC 111
- Share and evaluate indoor air related media coverage with respect to IT/CE equipment
- Share actual findings on research in indoor air chemistry and particulate matter
- Observing actual developments in indoor air measurement technology
- Maintain close cooperation with JBMIA and BAM.
ECMA-328 development history
Since the publications of the 1st edition of ECMA-328 in 2001 and the “Test method for the determination of emissions from Hard Copy Devices” (RAL-UZ 122), experts from the BAM and Ecma have collaborated to harmonise methods to determine the chemical emission rates from ICT & CE equipment:
- The 2nd edition used generalised emission formulae to calculate emission rates from concentrations of analytes that are measured in Emission Test Chambers.
- The 3rd edition was fully aligned with the 1st edition of ISO/IEC 28360:2007 (with errata in ISO/IEC 28360:2007 fixed in the 4th edition).
- The 5th edition included determination of Fine Particle (FP) and Ultrafine Particle (UFP) emissions.
- The 6th edition added a new ozone calculation method, and was fully aligned with RAL-UZ 171 and with ISO/IEC 28360:2012.
- The 7th edition of ECMA-328 was fully aligned with ISO/IEC 28360:2015.
- The 8th edition was divided into a Part 1 (using-consumables) and a Part 2 (not using-consumables)”. It is fully aligned with “Test method for the determination of emission from Hard Copy Devices” (RAL-UZ 205). The 8th edition of ECMA-328 Part 2 is fully aligned with ISO/IEC 28360-2:2018.
- The 9th edition of ECMA-328 Part 1 is fully aligned with ISO/IEC 28360-1:2018.