🌿 Glycerol in workplace air — polypropylene filter, elution with methanol, gas chromatography (in the laboratories' scopes GC-FID); lowest determinable concentration according to the standard 1 mg/m³, MAC (NDS) 10 mg/m³ for the inhalable fraction; PN-Z-04374:2009

Environment PN-Z-04374

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN card, in full: "A method is given consisting in the adsorption of glycerol on a polypropylene filter, elution of the retained compound with methanol and determination in the solution obtained by gas chromatography. The lowest concentration of glycerol that can be determined by this method is 1 mg/m3" (our translation; the card has a misspelling in the Polish word for "compound" and 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 (6 pages). The CIOP index of methods from 2000–2017 lists "Glicerol – nr 4(38) 2003"; we did not read the article and give nothing from it.

NDS VALUE (list in the annex to the regulation of 26 March 2026, Journal of Laws 2026 item 447). Item 275: "Glycerol [56-81-5] – inhalable fraction" — NDS 10 mg/m³, no NDSCh and no "skin" notation; the inhalable fraction is defined according to PN-EN 481 (footnote 6 of the list: the aerosol fraction "entering through the nose and mouth"). The lowest determinable concentration according to the card, 1 mg/m³, is 10 % of the NDS.

STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04374:2009 (Polish version) has neither the heading "Withdrawn" nor a "Withdrawal date" line: published 20-05-2009, 6 pages, price group C, Health, Environment and Medicine Sector, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the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-04374" (04.10.2026) returns only this standard; for "glicerolu" it is the only standard of the PN-Z series.

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 04374 appears in 4 records at 4 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues from 26.01.2026 to 17.09.2026) — 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 1226 item (issue no. 26 of 17.09.2026) is printed in bold italics — accreditation suspended at the request of the body from 10.06.2026 to 07.12.2026; in the database copy the object has an asterisk next to it. All records have the form "PN-Z-04374:2009"; AB 632 — next to instruction IB-04 edition 1 of 09.01.2021. The "Laboratories" tab (search term "PN-Z-04374") shows all 4 laboratories — checked with a tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 04.10.2026.

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy). Object: working environment — air, samples collected on filters (at AB 1226 without this note). Quantity: concentration (content) of glycerol — with the note "inhalable fraction" at AB 632, AB 746 and AB 1226, without it at AB 849. Ranges in mg/m³: 0.28–22.22 (AB 632), 0.5–20 (AB 849), 0.80–20 (AB 746), 1.01–20.20 (AB 1226, suspended); per sample from 0.050 mg (AB 632). Technique: gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) — all 4 laboratories.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — fraction: the NDS concerns the inhalable fraction, and its sampling requires a sampler meeting PN-EN 481; the card speaks only of a polypropylene filter, and AB 849 does not record the fraction — the report should state with which sampler the fraction was collected. Second — limit of quantification: according to the card 1 mg/m³; AB 1226 gives 1.01 mg/m³, AB 746 0.80, AB 849 0.5 and AB 632 0.28 mg/m³, which requires conditions different from those in the standard — the report should name them. Third — "adsorption" on the filter: this is how the card puts it; according to the list glycerol in workplace air is assessed as an aerosol (inhalable fraction) — the card's description does not say whether the method covers vapour. Fourth — suspension: the AB 1226 item is suspended until 07.12.2026.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — we do not give the sampler, the volume or flow rate of air sampling, the volume of methanol, the column, the detector required by the standard, the chromatograph conditions or calculations.

Method principle

Glycerol from workplace air is retained on a polypropylene filter, eluted with methanol and determined in the solution by gas chromatography (PKN card); the result in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 10 mg/m³ for the inhalable fraction. Lowest determinable concentration according to the card — 1 mg/m³. WE DO NOT GIVE details — we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Workplace air — glycerol, inhalable fraction — in the current scopes of 4 laboratories (one item suspended)
• Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 10 mg/m³ for the inhalable fraction (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 275 of the list)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04374:2009

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Oznaczanie glicerolu na stanowiskach pracy metodą chromatografii gazowej

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Determination of glycerol at workplaces by gas chromatography

Step-by-step procedure

1. Sampling

   Air through a polypropylene filter (PKN card); for assessment against the NDS — inhalable fraction according to PN-EN 481; WE DO NOT GIVE the parameters.

2. Elution

   With methanol (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the volume or time.

3. Analysis

   Gas chromatography (PKN card); in the laboratories' scopes — GC-FID; WE DO NOT GIVE the conditions.

4. Result and assessment

   Concentration in mg/m³; comparison with the NDS of 10 mg/m³ for the inhalable fraction (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447); lowest determinable concentration 1 mg/m³.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Methanol — work in a fume hood, chemical laboratory safety rules
• TECHNICAL NOTE: the NDS concerns the inhalable fraction; the AB 1226 item is suspended until 07.12.2026

Frequently asked questions