🌿 Acetone, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, 2-ethylhexanol, dibutyl phthalate and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in the mixture from processing plasticised PVC — workplace air; activated carbon and glass fibre, methanol in carbon disulfide, gas chromatography; PN-Z-04231-02:1993 (withdrawn 15-08-2014)

Environment PN-Z-04231-02

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN card, in full: "The method consists in adsorption of the determined compounds on activated carbon and glass fibre, extracting them with a solution of methanol in carbon disulfide and chromatographic analysis of the solutions obtained. The limit of quantification of the method is: acetone-6,2mg/cubic m, benzene-0,3mg/cubic m, toluene-3,0mg/cubic m, ethylbenzene-3.0mg/cubic m, 2-ethylhexanol-1,8mg/cubic m, dibutyl phthalate-0,2mg/cubic m, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-0,04mg/cubic m" (our translation; spelling and decimal marks as on the card, no full stop at the end; the title on the card reads "ftalanu, dwubutylu" with a comma). The card does not give the detector, the volume or the flow rate of the air sample. We did not have the text of the standard (4 pages).

NDS VALUES (list in the annex to the regulation of 26 March 2026, Journal of Laws 2026 item 447; none of these substances is covered by the transitional provisions of § 2). Acetone [67-64-1] (item 4) — NDS 600 mg/m³, NDSCh 1800 mg/m³; the limit of quantification on the card is about 1 % of the NDS. Benzene [71-43-2] (item 40) — NDS 0.66 mg/m³ (0.2 ppm), no NDSCh, "skin"; the limit of quantification of 0.3 mg/m³ is about 45 % of the NDS. Toluene [108-88-3] (item 533) — NDS 100 mg/m³, NDSCh 200 mg/m³, "skin"; about 3 % of the NDS. Ethylbenzene [100-41-4] (item 238) — NDS 200 mg/m³, NDSCh 400 mg/m³, "skin"; about 1.5 % of the NDS. 2-Ethylhexan-1-ol [104-76-7] (item 239) — NDS 5.4 mg/m³ (1 ppm), NDSCh 10.8 mg/m³ (2 ppm); the limit of quantification of 1.8 mg/m³ is about 33 % of the NDS. Dibutyl phthalate [84-74-2] (item 268) — NDS 0.6 mg/m³ with the note "inhalable fraction" (footnote 6), no NDSCh; the limit of quantification of 0.2 mg/m³ is about 33 % of the NDS. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate [117-81-7] (item 267) — NDS 0.8 mg/m³, no NDSCh and no note on the fraction; the limit of quantification of 0.04 mg/m³ is 5 % of the NDS. Vinyl acetate [108-05-4] (item 443), which the standard does not cover — NDS 10 mg/m³, NDSCh 30 mg/m³.

STATUS (card as of 05.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04231-02:1993 (Polish version) has the heading "Withdrawn" without naming a replacing standard: publication 30-09-1993, withdrawal date 15-08-2014, 4 pages, price group B, Health, Environment and Medicine Sector, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30. PKN search (05.10.2026): under "PN-Z-04231" — 2 parts of the series "Tests for harmful substances emitted during plastics processing": -01:1993 (general provisions) and -02:1993, both labelled "Withdrawn"; among the first 50 results for "przetwórstwa" there are no other standards on workplace air in plastics processing; among the first 50 results for "octanu winylu" the only standards on vinyl acetate in workplace air are the withdrawn parts PN-Z-04178-01 and -02:1987. The individual substances have separate entries in this database, including acetone (PN-Z-04057-01), ethylbenzene (PN-Z-04081-01) and vinyl acetate (PN-Z-04178-02), which already mention this standard.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17.09.2026, read on 05.10.2026). Number 04231-02 appears in 5 records at 2 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues of 13.01.2026 and 08.09.2026) — in 5 rows at the same laboratories; a search of all PCA documents downloaded from the BIP found no laboratories outside the database copy; no entry is suspended and no pages are repeated in any document. Notations: "PN-93/Z-04231/02" — AB 300, alongside instruction IN-59 ed. 3 of 18.12.2025 (three entries) or IN-66 ed. 1 of 29.07.2025 (one entry); "PN-Z-04231-02:1993" — AB 1854, alongside Working Instruction IR-23 issue 3 of 05.01.2023. The "Laboratories" tab searches for records beginning with the term entered: "PN-93/Z-04231/02" and "PN-Z-04231-02" show 1 laboratory each, 2 in total — 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). Subject: working environment — air, samples collected on sorbent tubes. AB 300 — concentration and content of: ethylbenzene 0.5–1800 mg/m³ (0.020–9 mg per sample), toluene 0.5–2000 mg/m³ (0.020–10 mg per sample; two entries — with IN-59 and with IN-66), acetone 0.8–3600 mg/m³ (0.03–18 mg per sample). AB 1854 — vinyl acetate content 8.5–330 µg per sample (no range in mg/m³ is given). No laboratory determines benzene, 2-ethylhexanol or either phthalate according to this standard. Technique: gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) — all entries.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — a substance outside the standard: AB 1854 cites this standard for vinyl acetate, which according to the card the standard does not cover, and in this entry the standard stands alongside Working Instruction IR-23 — the client should ask according to which document vinyl acetate was determined. Second — mixture versus single substance: the standard concerns the mixture emitted during the processing of plasticised PVC, while AB 300 applies it to single substances without indicating the emission source. Third — benzene: the limit of quantification on the card (0.3 mg/m³) is about 45 % of the NDS of 0.66 mg/m³, and those for 2-ethylhexanol and dibutyl phthalate about a third of the NDS; for these substances the margin below the NDS is small. Fourth — fraction: the NDS for dibutyl phthalate applies to the inhalable fraction, and the card does not say which fraction is collected on the glass fibre. Fifth — withdrawn standard: since 15-08-2014 with no successor; the lower limits of AB 300 (0.5–0.8 mg/m³) are below the limits of quantification on the card for toluene, ethylbenzene and acetone.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — we do not give the amounts of carbon and glass fibre, the composition of the methanol solution in carbon disulfide, the volume or flow rate of the air sample, the detector according to the standard, the column, the chromatograph conditions or the calculations. We do not claim that the standard describes sampling of the inhalable fraction.

Method principle

Acetone, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, 2-ethylhexanol, dibutyl phthalate and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate from the mixture emitted during the processing of plasticised poly(vinyl chloride) are adsorbed on activated carbon and glass fibre, extracted with a solution of methanol in carbon disulfide and the solutions obtained are analysed chromatographically (PKN card); limits of quantification according to the card — from 0.04 mg/m³ (bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) to 6.2 mg/m³ (acetone). The result for each substance is compared with its NDS (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447). The standard has been withdrawn with no successor.

Applications

• Workplace air in the processing of plasticised PVC — seven substances from the card; in the current scopes of AB 300 for acetone, toluene and ethylbenzene
• At AB 1854 the standard is cited for vinyl acetate, which the card does not list (NDS 10 mg/m³, NDSCh 30 mg/m³, item 443 of the list)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04231-02:1993

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Badania zawartości substancji szkodliwych emitowanych podczas przetwórstwa tworzyw sztucznych — Oznaczanie acetonu, benzenu, toluenu, etylobenzenu, 2-etyloheksanolu, ftalanu dwubutylu i ftalanu dwu(2-etyloheksylu) na stanowiskach pracy w mieszaninie emitowanej podczas przetwórstwa plastyfikowanego poli(chlorku winylu) metodą chromatografii gazowej

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Tests for harmful substances emitted during plastics processing — Determination of acetone, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, 2-ethylhexanol, dibutyl phthalate and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate at workplaces in the mixture emitted during processing of plasticised poly(vinyl chloride) by gas chromatography

Step-by-step procedure

1. Sampling

   Adsorption of the determined compounds on activated carbon and glass fibre (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the volume and flow rate.

2. Extraction

   Extraction with a solution of methanol in carbon disulfide (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the composition and volume.

3. Analysis

   Chromatographic analysis of the solutions obtained (PKN card); in the scopes — GC-FID; WE DO NOT GIVE the conditions.

4. Result and assessment

   Concentration of each substance in mg/m³; comparison with its NDS and NDSCh (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447).

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Benzene, phthalates and carbon disulfide — safety rules of the chemical laboratory
• TECHNICAL NOTE: according to the card the standard covers seven substances; AB 1854 cites it for vinyl acetate, which the card does not list

Frequently asked questions