Hi to All, After reasding the various emails re: metrics, I phoned NIST and talked to them about this. I talked to Jim McCracken, Metric Coordinator of the Metric Program at NIST.
First, the email from "Maureen Breitenburg, subject Business Alert - Received from NIST Metric Program" was a repeat of a statement from the NIST Metric Program. The capital letters used in this email were added and were not from the Metric Program statement. Second, the Metric Directive is, in fact, still in effect. 80/181/EEC was the original and had an effective date of 1/1/90 and required the use only of SI units after that date. Directive 89/617/EEC changed the effective date from 1/1/90 to 1/1/2000. These directives are in effect and there have been no legal changes to the requirements or effective dates. Third, there was a draft document, 91C185, which was put out for voting but was never voted on. That document was a proposal to consolidate the changes made by the 80 and 89 directives. I think that directive 85/1/EEC which added some SI units to the list required by 80/181/EEC was included in the 91C185 document consolidation proposal. The 'C' in the document number indicates commentary or proposal and is not definitive (legal). The document 97C 2/02 is the withdrawal of the 1996 draft porposal to make 91C185 a legal directive. So, as best I understand what Mr. McCracken said, the original and it's effective date modifying directive still stand and will require SI only units be used after 1/1/2000. Fourth, there is a problem in the US because some of our laws require BOTH metric and non-metric measures on certain packaging. We will either have to have two packages or change our laws. NIST is planning a forum in late spring or early summer 1998 to discuss the metric issue and how we can successfully resolve American concerns. One way is to press for changes to our laws that permit metric only measure on packaging. It is my understanding that anyone who sends an email to Jim McCracken at [email protected] will be added to a list to receive an announcement of this forum. Finally, IMHO the EU has been working far too many years to get SI only put in practice that they are unlikely to bend on this. My employer already does a lot of dual stuff. We will look at simply getting rid on non-SI where possible and what's left may have to get separate printings. ________________________ Regards, Scott Douglas Principal Compliance Engineer ECRM Incorporated Telephone: 1-508-851-0207 Facsimilie: 1-508-851-7016 e-mail: [email protected] ________________________
