Xinhua, Beijing, July 23: The new national standard for rubber tracks, 'Middle and Primary School Synthetic Material Surface Sports Grounds' GB 36246-2018 (referred to as the 'new standard'), was recently officially released by the State Administration for Market Regulation. Inspection reports have now been issued following tests conducted according to the new standard.
Although the new standard will only come into force on November 1, according to a report from the China National Building Material Testing Center (CTC) of the China National Inspection and Certification Group (referred to as 'CNIGC'), products such as permeable ETPU rubber tracks and solvent-free polyurethane adhesives from BASF and DBC Group have passed all tests under the new standard. These products are already compliant with the new standard.
ETPU permeable rubber tracks are finished rubber track products. Guo Zhongbao, project leader of CTC at CNIGC, stated that this report was based on a full inspection according to the new standard GB 36246-2018. CNIGC has recently been authorized by the State Administration for Market Regulation to conduct third-party inspections under the new standard.
According to the inspection report, chemical and physical performance indicators, as well as tests for harmful substances such as adhesive VOCs, finished product TVOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and carbon disulfide, all met the requirements of the new standard. Many of the test results exceeded the new standard's requirements.
Lin Fanqiu, chairman of DBC Group, stated that after the industry experienced a period of turmoil, the new standard provides quantifiable benchmarks. Industry players must be responsible for the final quality of their products and should use technological advancements to upgrade their offerings while improving their service systems to ensure the safety and quality of green sports facilities on campuses.
The Ministry of Education organized a seminar to interpret the new standard at the beginning of this month, with experts from the drafting group providing explanations to representatives from education departments across the country's provinces and municipalities.
