ASTM_D_7584_-_10_2015.pdf

Designation:D758410(Reapproved 2015)Standard Test Method forEvaluating the Resistance of the Surface of Wet Blue to theGrowth of Fungi in an Environmental Chamber1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D7584;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This environmental chamber method measures the re-sistance of the treated wet blue to the germination of spores andsubsequent vegetative growth over a period of four weeks.Thetest method is useful in estimating the performance of fungi-cides and should assist in the prediction of storage time of wetblue before fungal growth begins.The apparatus is designed soit can be easily built or obtained by any interested party andduplicate the natural environment in which wet blue is inocu-lated with fungal spores.Spores that germinate on untreated ortreated wet blue can produce fungal growth,resulting indisfigurement or discoloration,or both,of the wet blue.1.2The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D3273 Test Method for Resistance to Growth of Mold on theSurface of Interior Coatings in an Environmental Cham-berE177 Practice for Use of the Terms Precision and Bias inASTM Test MethodsE691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study toDetermine the Precision of a Test Method3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 wet bluehide or skin,or split of a hide or skin,tanned with basic chromium sulfate,containing approximately50%moisture and an acidic pH.3.1.2 fungichemoorganotrophic eukaryotic organisms liv-ing mainly under aerobic conditions and generating energy bythe oxidation of organic materials.3.1.3 molda macroscopic discoloration of the surface ofwet blue.Mold also a sign of the presence of microscopicfungal growth in the form of usually clear to white fungalhyphae,spores of various colors,and other structures.Coloredspots,probably due to the presence of a colored pigmentproduced by the fungus,have been observed on the surface ofwet blue in places where fungal growth has occurred and thenstopped.Fungal structures such as hyphae and spores may beviewed by simply using a 10 hand lens.3.1.4 Fungi of Importance in the Tannery:3.1.4.1 Filamentous Fungi:(1)A wide variety of fungi have been identified in thetannery,but commonly encountered species include Aspergil-lus spp.,Paecilomyces spp.,and Penicillium spp.(2)Aspergillus niger produces black spores and Penicil-lium luteum produces yellow-green colored spores.(3)Trichoderma viride produces green spores.3.1.4.2 YeastMany yeasts are cream colored,but pig-mented ones may also be encountered including Rhodotorulaspp.which is pigmented red.3.1.4.3 Factors Favoring the Growth of Fungi in the Tan-nery:(1)Wet blue contains nutrients beneficial to fungal growth.(2)Favorable environmental factors include a slightlyacidic pH,a high moisture content,and warm temperatures.(3)Fungal spores are transported by air or on hides andskins into the tannery and distributed within the tannery byphysical contact or air currents to favorable substrates forgrowth including wet blue.4.Personal Protective Equipment4.1 Fungi are opportunistic organisms.For this reason,rubber gloves or powder-free latex examination gloves,safetyglasses,and a laboratory coat should be worn wheneverhandling samples with fungal growth are encountered.1This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D31 on Leatherand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D31.02 on Wet Blue.Current edition approved Dec.1,2015.Published December 2015.Originallyapproved in 2010.Last previous edition approved in 2010 as D7584 10.DOI:10.1520/D7584-10R15.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 4.2 A dust mask or respirator should be worn whenever theenvironmental chamber is open or whenever samples withfungal growth are encountered.4.2.1 Dust MaskExamples,3M 8210 and 3M 9322 Res-pirators.4.2.2 Half-Mask RespiratorEquipped with a filter ap-proved 99.97%efficient against solid or liquid particulatesincluding oil-based particles:For example,the North 7700Series Half-Mask Respirator equipped with Cartridge PI 00Filter.5.