🌿 Dibenz(a,h)anthracene in workplace air — glass-fibre filter, extraction with cyclohexane, solution in acetonitrile, high-performance liquid chromatography with spectrofluorimetric or spectrophotometric detection; lowest determinable concentration according to the standard 0.10 µg/m³, MAC (NDS) 0.004 mg/m³ (4 µg/m³), "skin" notation; PN-Z-04240-4:1999

Environment PN-Z-04240-4

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN card, in full: "A method for determining dibenzo/ah/anthracene is specified, consisting in passing the tested air through a glass-fibre filter, extracting the determined compound from the filter with cyclohexane, evaporating the solvent, dissolving the dry residue in acetonitrile and quantitatively determining dibenzo/ah/anthracene by high-performance liquid chromatography with spectrofluorimetric or spectrophotometric detection. The lowest concentration of dibenzo/ah/anthracene that can be determined using this method is 0.10 microg/m3" (our translation; spelling as on the card, without a full stop at the end). Unlike part 2 (benzo(a)pyrene), the card gives a single lowest determinable concentration, without distinguishing between detectors. We did not have the text of the standard (5 pages). The CIOP index of methods from 2000–2017 lists "Wielopierścieniowe węglowodory aromatyczne – nr 3(25) 2000"; we did not read the article and give nothing from it.

NDS VALUES (list in the annex to the regulation of 26 March 2026, Journal of Laws 2026 item 447). Item 147: "Dibenz[a,h]anthracene [53-70-3]" — NDS 0.004 mg/m³ (4 µg/m³), no NDSCh, "skin" notation. Item 569: "Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) – as the sum of the products of concentrations and carcinogenicity factors of 9 carcinogenic PAHs" — NDS 0.002 mg/m³, "skin" notation; according to footnote 25 the carcinogenicity factor of dibenz[a,h]anthracene is 5, of benzo[a]pyrene 1. The lowest determinable concentration according to the card, 0.10 µg/m³, is 2.5 % of the NDS.

STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04240-4:1999 (Polish version) has neither the heading "Withdrawn" nor a "Withdrawal date" line: published 09-02-1999, 5 pages, price group C, Health, Environment and Medicine Sector, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30; the card has no "Replaces" field. The PKN search for "PN-Z-04240" (04.10.2026) shows five parts of the series "Tests for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content": without the label "Withdrawn" — 2:1999 (benzo/a/pyrene), 4:1999 (dibenzo/ah/anthracene) and 5:2006 (nine PAHs at workplaces); labelled "Withdrawn" — 3:1999 and 1:1996 ("Withdrawn and replaced by PN-EN 15549:2008"). Parts 2 and 5 are described in separate entries of this database.

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 04240-4 (with a hyphen, full stop or slash before the part number) appears in 4 records at 4 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues from 12.02.2026 to 22.07.2026) — in 4 rows at the same laboratories; a search of all PCA documents downloaded from the BIP found no laboratories outside the database copy; no document repeats pages. The AB 746 item (issue no. 38 of 22.07.2026) is printed in bold italics — accreditation suspended at the request of the body from 17.04.2026 to 16.10.2026; in the database copy the number has an asterisk ("PN-Z-04240-4:1999 *"). All records have the form "PN-Z-04240-4:1999", with no documents next to it. The "Laboratories" tab (search term "PN-Z-04240-4") shows all 4 laboratories — checked with a tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 04.10.2026. In the PCA documents of AB 213, AB 746 and AB 886 the item stands directly below the item with part 2 (benzo(a)pyrene).

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy and PCA documents). Object: working environment — air; AB 213, AB 719 and AB 746 — samples collected on filters, AB 886 — on sorption tubes. Quantity: concentration (content) of dibenz(a,h)anthracene. Ranges: AB 746 — 0.080–13.89 µg/m³ and 0.050–10 µg per sample (suspended), AB 886 — 0.00003–0.030 mg/m³ (0.03–30 µg/m³) and 0.02–22 µg per sample, AB 213 — 0.010–10 µg per sample, AB 719 — 0.0000050–0.00400 mg per sample. Technique: high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) — all 4 laboratories (for benzo(a)pyrene AB 886 gives just "HPLC", for dibenz(a,h)anthracene HPLC-FLD).

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — units: the NDS is in mg/m³ (0.004), the laboratories' ranges once in µg/m³ (AB 746), once in mg/m³ (AB 886), once only as mass per sample (AB 213, AB 719); conversion easily leads to an error of three orders of magnitude. Second — two reference values: the result for dibenz(a,h)anthracene is compared with its own NDS (item 147), and it enters the PAH index (item 569) with a factor of 5 — five times the weight of benzo(a)pyrene; this part alone does not give the PAH index, all nine compounds are needed. Third — limit of quantification: according to the card 0.10 µg/m³; AB 746 (0.080 µg/m³) and AB 886 (0.03 µg/m³) give a lower bottom limit, which requires conditions different from those in the standard — the report should name them. Fourth — sampler: the card speaks of a glass-fibre filter, while AB 886 gives sorption tubes — whether these are conditions of the standard does not follow from the card. Fifth — suspension: the AB 746 item is suspended until 16.10.2026.

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 volumes of cyclohexane and acetonitrile, the column, the mobile phase, the excitation and emission wavelengths or calculations.

Method principle

Air from the workplace is passed through a glass-fibre filter; dibenz(a,h)anthracene is extracted from the filter with cyclohexane, the solvent evaporated, the residue dissolved in acetonitrile and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with spectrofluorimetric or spectrophotometric detection (PKN card). The result is compared with the NDS of 0.004 mg/m³. Lowest determinable concentration according to the card — 0.10 µg/m³. WE DO NOT GIVE details — we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Workplace air — dibenz(a,h)anthracene — in the current scopes of 4 laboratories (one item suspended)
• Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 0.004 mg/m³, "skin" notation (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 147 of the list); into the PAH index (item 569) with a factor of 5

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04240-4:1999

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Badania zawartości wielopierścieniowych węglowodorów aromatycznych — Oznaczanie dibenzo/ah/antracenu na stanowiskach pracy metodą wysokosprawnej chromatografii cieczowej

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Tests for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons content — Determination of dibenzo/ah/anthracene at workplaces by high-performance liquid chromatography

Step-by-step procedure

1. Sampling

   Air through a glass-fibre filter (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the volume.

2. Extraction

   Extraction from the filter with cyclohexane, evaporation of the solvent, dissolution of the dry residue in acetonitrile (PKN card).

3. Analysis

   HPLC with spectrofluorimetric or spectrophotometric detection (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the conditions.

4. Result and assessment

   Concentration of dibenz(a,h)anthracene; comparison with the NDS of 0.004 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447) — mind the units µg/m³ and mg/m³.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Dibenz(a,h)anthracene — "skin" notation in the NDS list; cyclohexane and acetonitrile — chemical laboratory safety rules
• TECHNICAL NOTE: a result for dibenz(a,h)anthracene alone does not replace the PAH index (item 569), in which the compound has a factor of 5; the AB 746 item is suspended until 16.10.2026

Frequently asked questions