Revision of FED-STD-209D and MIL-STD-1246B and development of IES (Institute of Environmental Sciences) contamination control recommended practices in the United States of America

In the United States of America, numerous organizations are writing standards and recommend practices for contamination control and cleanroom applications. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the Institute of Environmental Sciences (IES), and various US Government agencies are among the organizations with a vested interest in publishing standards and recommended practices on these subjects. In the early years of contamination control and cleanroom technology, significant work was done in the US on standards and recommended practices. Proprietary standards were established by companies and other documents were produced by Federal agencies and technical organizations. In 1982, the IES began to focus on recommended practices, and the US General Services Administration (GSA) commissioned the IES to review and rewrite US Federal Standard 209 (FED-STD-209). The ASTM continues to review and update their standards on cleanroom applications on a periodic basis. Now, in 1990, US military organizations are beginning to review their cleanroom documents as well. This paper will discuss the preparation of IES Recommended Practices and Standards for contamination control and cleanroom applications. It will describe the current status of four IES Recommended Practices and two US Government documents.