🌿 1,3-Dioxolane and 1,3,5-trioxane in workplace air — adsorption on silica gel, extraction with distilled water, gas chromatography with sample enrichment; limit of quantification according to the standard 2.5 mg/m³ (1,3-dioxolane) and 3.5 mg/m³ (1,3,5-trioxane), MAC (NDS) 10 and 15 mg/m³; PN-Z-04180-02:1987 (withdrawn 27-11-2012)

Environment PN-Z-04180-02

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN card, in full: "The method consists in the adsorption of 1,3-diooxolane and 1,3,5-trioxane on silica gel, extracting it with distilled water and chromatographic analysis of the obtained solution. The limit of quantification of the method is 2.5 mg for 1,3-dioxolane and 3.5 mg for 1,3,5-trioxane in 1 cubic metre of air" (our translation; the spelling "diooksolanu" as on the card, no full stop at the end). The card gives neither the detector nor the air volume. We did not have the text of the standard (3 pages); the CIOP index of methods from 2000–2017 does not list an article on 1,3-dioxolane or 1,3,5-trioxane (searched on 05.10.2026).

NDS VALUES (list in the annex to the regulation of 26 March 2026, Journal of Laws 2026 item 447). Item 196: "1,3-Dioxolane [646-06-0]" — NDS 10 mg/m³, NDSCh 50 mg/m³; item 557: "1,3,5-Trioxane [110-88-3]" — NDS 15 mg/m³, NDSCh 75 mg/m³; both without the "skin" notation. The limit of quantification according to the card is 25 % of the NDS of 1,3-dioxolane and about 23 % of the NDS of 1,3,5-trioxane.

STATUS (card as of 05.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04180-02:1987 (Polish version) has the heading "Withdrawn": published 12-10-1987, withdrawal date 27-11-2012, 3 pages, price group B, Health, Environment and Medicine Sector, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30; the card does not indicate a replacing standard. The PKN search for "PN-Z-04180", "dioksolanu" and "trioksanu" (05.10.2026) shows two sheets of the series — 01:1987 (general provisions and scope of the standard) and 02:1987 — both labelled "Withdrawn".

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data load up to 17.09.2026, read on 05.10.2026). The number 04180-02 (with a full stop or a slash before the sheet number) appears in 2 records at 2 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues of 04.02.2026 and 11.06.2026 — both issued after the withdrawal of the standard) — in 2 rows at the same laboratories; a search of all PCA documents downloaded from the BIP found no laboratories outside the database copy; no item is suspended, and no document repeats pages. Forms: "PN-87/Z-04180.02" — AB 964; "PN-Z-04180/02:1987" — AB 1207 (next to procedure PB-06B edition 8 of 20.01.2025). "Laboratories" tab: "PN-87/Z-04180.02" — 1 laboratory, "PN-Z-04180/02" — 1, the same in the copy and on the labcoda.pl production server (tab queries on 05.10.2026).

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy and PCA documents). AB 964 — working environment, air: 1,3-dioxolane 1.5–92 mg/m³ (0.0051–0.3051 mg per sample) and 1,3,5-trioxane 2–121 mg/m³ (0.0070–0.4201 mg per sample), gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID). AB 1207 — "volatile organic compounds: 1,3-dioxolane, 1,3,5-trioxane", one range 0.2–460 mg/m³ (0.002–1 mg per sample), gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS); the item stands in a group with three test objects: working environment (air samples collected on sorbent tubes — silica gel), general environment (ambient air samples) and indoor rooms.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — status: the standard has been withdrawn since 27-11-2012, and both laboratories have it in scopes issued in 2026; the search terms "dioksolanu" and "trioksanu" show no current standard. Second — limit of quantification: according to the card 2.5 and 3.5 mg/m³; AB 964 gives 1.5 and 2 mg/m³, AB 1207 0.2 mg/m³, which requires conditions different from those in the standard. Third — two substances, two NDS values: AB 1207 gives one range for both compounds, while the NDS list has different values for them (10 and 15 mg/m³) — each result is compared with the value for its own substance. Fourth — object: at AB 1207 the item stands in a group that also covers ambient air and indoor rooms — for these objects the NDS is not a reference value.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — we do not give the mass of silica gel, the volume or flow rate of air sampling, the volume of water, the column, the detector, the chromatograph conditions or calculations. We do not state that another standard replaced PN-Z-04180-02:1987 — PKN does not indicate one.

Method principle

1,3-Dioxolane and 1,3,5-trioxane from workplace air are adsorbed on silica gel, extracted with distilled water and the solution is analysed chromatographically (PKN card); the results in mg/m³ are compared with the NDS of 10 mg/m³ (1,3-dioxolane) and 15 mg/m³ (1,3,5-trioxane). Limit of quantification according to the card — 2.5 and 3.5 mg/m³. The standard is withdrawn (27-11-2012); WE DO NOT GIVE details — we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Workplace air — 1,3-dioxolane and 1,3,5-trioxane — in the current scopes of 2 laboratories, despite the withdrawal of the standard
• Assessment of occupational exposure against NDS 10 / NDSCh 50 mg/m³ (1,3-dioxolane, item 196) and NDS 15 / NDSCh 75 mg/m³ (1,3,5-trioxane, item 557) (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04180-02:1987

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Badania zawartości 1,3-dioksolanu i 1,3,5-trioksanu — Oznaczanie 1,3-dioksolanu i 1,3,5-trioksanu na stanowiskach pracy metodą chromatografii gazowej z wzbogacaniem próbki

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Tests for 1,3-dioxolane and 1,3,5-trioxane content — Determination of 1,3-dioxolane and 1,3,5-trioxane at workplaces by gas chromatography with sample enrichment

Step-by-step procedure

1. Status

   PN-Z-04180-02:1987 withdrawn on 27-11-2012, with no indicated successor (card as of 05.10.2026).

2. Sampling

   Adsorption on silica gel (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the volume.

3. Extraction and analysis

   Extraction with distilled water, chromatographic analysis (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the conditions.

4. Result and assessment

   Concentrations in mg/m³; each compound against its own item of the list: 1,3-dioxolane — NDS 10 mg/m³, 1,3,5-trioxane — NDS 15 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447).

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• 1,3-Dioxolane and 1,3,5-trioxane — chemical laboratory safety rules
• TECHNICAL NOTE: standard withdrawn on 27-11-2012 with no successor in the PKN catalogue; AB 1207 gives one range for two substances with different NDS values

Frequently asked questions