🌿 Chloroform in workplace air — adsorption on activated charcoal, extraction with carbon disulphide, gas chromatography; limit of quantification of the method according to the standard 5 mg/m³, MAC (NDS) 8 mg/m³, "skin" notation; PN-Z-04187-02:1988 (withdrawn 10-09-2015)
In short
Polish standard of 1988 with a method for determining chloroform in workplace air: chloroform is adsorbed on activated charcoal, extracted with carbon disulphide and analysed by chromatography; the limit of quantification according to the PKN card is 5 mg/m³ — with the present NDS of 8 mg/m³ that is more than half of this value. The test is performed according to PN-Z-04187-02:1988; Ranges in accreditation scopes: from 0.312 mg/m³ (AB 746) to 500 mg/m³ (AB 886, AB 1642); AB 719 — 0.020–19.0 mg per sample. The procedure comprises 4 steps; it is used for: Workplace air — chloroform — in the current scopes of 6 laboratories, despite the withdrawal of the standard, Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 8 mg/m³, "skin" notation (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 106 of the list).
At a glance
- Standard: PN-Z-04187-02:1988
- Category: Environment
- Procedure steps: 4
- STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026): PN-Z-04187-02:1988 WITHDRAWN — withdrawal date 10-09-2015; the card names no replacing standard; PN-Z-04187-01:1988 and PN-Z-04096:1977 also withdrawn
- Edition (from the PKN card): PN-Z-04187-02:1988, Polish version; published 02-03-1988, 3 pages, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30
- Limit of quantification (card): 5 mg/m³ — 62.5 % of the NDS
Overview
WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN catalogue card, in full (our translation): "The test method consists in adsorption of chloroform on activated charcoal, extracting it with carbon disulphide and chromatographic analysis of the solution obtained. The limit of quantification of the method is 5 mg in 1 cubic metre of air" (no full stop at the end on the card; the card uses the older Polish name "dwusiarczek węgla", our Polish entry uses "disiarczek węgla" as in the NDS list and newer PKN cards). We did not have the text of the standard (3 pages); the CIOP index of methods from 2000–2017 lists no article on chloroform (searched on 04.10.2026).
NDS VALUE (list in the annex to the regulation of 26 March 2026, Journal of Laws 2026 item 447). Item 106: "Chloroform [67-66-3]" — NDS 8 mg/m³, no NDSCh, "skin" notation (according to footnote 4 of the list, absorption through the skin "may be as important as in exposure by inhalation"). The limit of quantification according to the card, 5 mg/m³, is 62.5 % of the NDS — the method as worded on the card does not allow concentrations clearly below the NDS to be determined.
STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04187-02:1988 (Polish version) has the heading "Withdrawn": published 02-03-1988, withdrawal date 10-09-2015, 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 name a replacing standard. The PKN search for "PN-Z-04187" and "chloroformu" (04.10.2026) shows for workplaces only standards labelled "Withdrawn": PN-Z-04187-01:1988 (general provisions and scope of the standard), PN-Z-04187-02:1988 and the older PN-Z-04096:1977 ("Determination of chloroform at workplaces"); it returns no current standard for chloroform.
HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data load up to 17.09.2026, read on 04.10.2026). The number 04187-02 (with a hyphen, full stop or slash before the part number) appears in 8 records at 6 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues from 12.02.2026 to 28.07.2026 — all issued after the withdrawal of the standard) — in 7 rows at the same laboratories (AB 886 has two records in the database copy and one row in PCA); a search of all PCA documents downloaded from the BIP found no laboratories outside the database copy; no item with this standard is suspended and no document repeats pages. Old form "PN-88/Z-04187/02" — AB 882 (next to procedure PB-01 edition 5 of 12.01.2026), AB 886 (next to procedure PB-02 edition no. 12 of 16.10.2023) and AB 1207 (next to procedure PB-06A edition 7 of 20.01.2025); "PN-88/Z-04187.02" — AB 746; form "PN-Z-04187-02:1988" — AB 1642, the second item of AB 882 (next to procedure PB-10 edition 1 of 31.08.2022) and AB 719 ("pkt 7", point 7, next to procedure PA-31 edition 7 of 24.01.2025). "Laboratories" tab: "PN-88/Z-04187/02" shows 3 laboratories, "PN-Z-04187-02" — 3 (AB 882 under both queries), "PN-88/Z-04187.02" — 1, 6 in total, the same in the copy and on the production server labcoda.pl (tab queries of 04.10.2026).
WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy). Object: working environment — air, samples collected on sorbent tubes, sorption tubes with activated charcoal or a solid sorbent; at AB 1207 the object recorded in the copy also covers, besides the working environment, samples of ambient air and indoor air. Quantity: concentration (content) of chloroform. Ranges in mg/m³: 0.312–16 (AB 746), 0.33–170 (AB 1207, GC-MS), 0.35–500 (AB 886 — from the PCA document, the records in the copy have no range in mg/m³), 0.40–500 (AB 1642), 0.59–30.0 (AB 882, GC-FID), 0.62–61 (AB 882, GC-MS); AB 719 — 0.020–19.0 mg per sample. Technique: gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) — 5 laboratories; gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) — AB 1207 and the second item of AB 882.
WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — sensitivity against the NDS: according to the card the limit of quantification of the method is 5 mg/m³ with an NDS of 8 mg/m³; all laboratories with a range in mg/m³ state a bottom limit below 1 mg/m³ (from 0.312 to 0.62 mg/m³), which requires conditions different from those in the standard — the report should name them, and a result below 5 mg/m³ does not follow from the standard alone. Second — status: the standard has been withdrawn since 10-09-2015, and the PKN search shows no other standard for chloroform; 6 laboratories have it in scopes issued in 2026. Third — detector and documents next to the standard: the GC-MS items (AB 1207 with PB-06A, AB 882 with PB-10) are performed according to in-house procedures; AB 719 cites only point 7 of the standard. Fourth — object: at AB 1207 the same item also covers ambient and indoor air, for which the NDS is not a reference value. Fifth — skin: a measurement in air does not cover absorption through the skin.
WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — we do not give the volume or flow rate of air sampling, the type of tube and mass of charcoal, the column, the detector required by the standard, chromatograph conditions, desorption efficiency or calculations; we do not know the content of point 7. We do not claim that another standard has replaced PN-Z-04187-02:1988 — PKN names none.
Method principle
Chloroform from workplace air is adsorbed on activated charcoal, extracted with carbon disulphide, and the solution obtained is analysed by chromatography; the result in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 8 mg/m³. Limit of quantification of the method according to the card — 5 mg/m³. The standard is withdrawn (10-09-2015); WE DO NOT GIVE details — we did not have the text of the standard.
Applications
- Workplace air — chloroform — in the current scopes of 6 laboratories, despite the withdrawal of the standard
- Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 8 mg/m³, "skin" notation (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 106 of the list)
Key parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026) | PN-Z-04187-02:1988 WITHDRAWN — withdrawal date 10-09-2015; the card names no replacing standard; PN-Z-04187-01:1988 and PN-Z-04096:1977 also withdrawn |
| Edition (from the PKN card) | PN-Z-04187-02:1988, Polish version; published 02-03-1988, 3 pages, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30 |
| Limit of quantification (card) | 5 mg/m³ — 62.5 % of the NDS |
| NDS (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 106) | 8 mg/m³; no NDSCh; "skin" notation |
| Ranges in accreditation scopes | from 0.312 mg/m³ (AB 746) to 500 mg/m³ (AB 886, AB 1642); AB 719 — 0.020–19.0 mg per sample |
| Coverage in accreditation scopes (read 04.10.2026) | 6 laboratories, 8 records in the database copy, 7 rows in PCA; "Laboratories" tab: "PN-88/Z-04187/02" — 3, "PN-Z-04187-02" — 3, "PN-88/Z-04187.02" — 1 (6 in total), the same on the production server |
Standard
- Standard number
- PN-Z-04187-02:1988
- Title (PL)
- Ochrona czystości powietrza — Badania zawartości chloroformu — Oznaczanie chloroformu na stanowiskach pracy metodą chromatografii gazowej z wzbogacaniem próbki
- Title (EN)
- Air purity protection — Tests for chloroform content — Determination of chloroform at workplaces by gas chromatography with sample enrichment
Step-by-step procedure
-
Status
PN-Z-04187-02:1988 withdrawn on 10-09-2015, with no named successor (card as of 04.10.2026).
-
Sampling
Adsorption of chloroform on activated charcoal; WE DO NOT GIVE details.
-
Extraction and analysis
Extraction with carbon disulphide, chromatographic analysis; WE DO NOT GIVE conditions.
-
Result and assessment
Concentration in mg/m³; comparison with the NDS of 8 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447); limit of quantification 5 mg/m³.
Required equipment and apparatus
| Equipment | Example | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| Gas chromatograph | Analysis of the solution after extraction (PKN card); the card does not give the detector or column | — |
| Air sampling set with an activated charcoal tube | Adsorption of chloroform (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the volume or flow rate | — |
Reagents, media and consumables
| Reagent | CAS | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Activated charcoal | — | Sorbent for chloroform (PKN card) |
| Carbon disulphide | — | For extraction (PKN card: older Polish name "dwusiarczek węgla") |
Health and safety (OHS)
- Carbon disulphide and chloroform — work in a fume hood, chemical laboratory safety rules
- TECHNICAL NOTE: the limit of quantification on the card (5 mg/m³) is 62.5 % of the NDS; standard withdrawn on 10-09-2015
Frequently asked questions
Which standard describes this test?
The test is performed according to PN-Z-04187-02:1988 — “Air purity protection — Tests for chloroform content — Determination of chloroform at workplaces by gas chromatography with sample enrichment”.
How does this method work?
Chloroform from workplace air is adsorbed on activated charcoal, extracted with carbon disulphide, and the solution obtained is analysed by chromatography; the result in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 8 mg/m³. Limit of quantification of the method according to the card — 5 mg/m³.
What is the measuring range and accuracy?
STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026): PN-Z-04187-02:1988 WITHDRAWN — withdrawal date 10-09-2015; the card names no replacing standard; PN-Z-04187-01:1988 and PN-Z-04096:1977 also withdrawn; Edition (from the PKN card): PN-Z-04187-02:1988, Polish version; published 02-03-1988, 3 pages, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30; Limit of quantification (card): 5 mg/m³ — 62.5 % of the NDS; NDS (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 106): 8 mg/m³; no NDSCh; "skin" notation.
How long does the test take?
The procedure comprises 4 steps. The standard does not give a duration for every stage — the laboratory's own procedure decides.
What equipment is required?
Gas chromatograph, Air sampling set with an activated charcoal tube.
Where is this test used?
Workplace air — chloroform — in the current scopes of 6 laboratories, despite the withdrawal of the standard; Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 8 mg/m³, "skin" notation (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 106 of the list).
What safety precautions apply?
Carbon disulphide and chloroform — work in a fume hood, chemical laboratory safety rules; TECHNICAL NOTE: the limit of quantification on the card (5 mg/m³) is 62.5 % of the NDS; standard withdrawn on 10-09-2015.
Which laboratory can perform this test?
The test is performed by laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. On LabCoda you can find them by the standard number PN-Z-04187-02.