🌿 Glutaraldehyde in workplace air — glass-fibre filter coated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), extraction of the hydrazone with acetonitrile, high-performance liquid chromatography; lowest determinable concentration according to the standard 0.04 mg/m³, MAC (NDS) 0.4 mg/m³, STEL (NDSCh) 0.6 mg/m³; PN-Z-04290:2002

Environment PN-Z-04290

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN card, in full: "A method is given consisting in passing the tested air through a glass-fibre filter coated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, extracting the resulting glutaraldehyde dinitrophenylhydrazone with acetonitrile and analysing the obtained extract by high-performance liquid chromatography. The lowest concentration of glutaraldehyde that can be determined by this method is 0.04 mg/m3" (our translation; on the card without a full stop at the end). The card gives neither the detector nor the air volume. We did not have the text of the standard (7 pages); the CIOP index of methods from 2000–2017 lists no article on glutaraldehyde (searched on 04.10.2026).

NDS VALUES (list in the annex to the regulation of 26 March 2026, Journal of Laws 2026 item 447). Item 279: "Glutaraldehyde [111-30-8]" — NDS 0.4 mg/m³, NDSCh 0.6 mg/m³, no "skin" notation. The lowest determinable concentration according to the card, 0.04 mg/m³, is 10 % of the NDS.

STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04290:2002 (Polish version) has neither the heading "Withdrawn" nor a "Withdrawal date" line: published 16-12-2002, 7 pages, price group D, Health, Environment and Medicine Sector, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the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-04290" (04.10.2026) returns only this standard.

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 04290 appears in 3 records at 3 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues from 26.01.2026 to 11.06.2026) — in 3 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. The form "PN-Z-04290:2002" — AB 719 and AB 849; AB 1207 — next to procedure PB-10A edition 4 of 20.01.2025. The "Laboratories" tab (search term "PN-Z-04290") shows all 3 laboratories — checked with a tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 04.10.2026.

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy and PCA documents). Object: working environment — air. AB 1207 — samples collected on DNPH-impregnated filters, glutaraldehyde under the item heading "aldehydes:" as the only compound of this item, 0.005–20 mg/m³ (0.0005–0.30 mg per sample), HPLC with spectrophotometric detection (HPLC-UV); AB 849 — samples collected on sorbent tubes, 0.04–6.000 mg/m³ (0.42–60.00 µg per sample), HPLC-UV/Vis; AB 719 — samples collected on filters, prepared filters, prepared sorption tubes with silica gel or into scrubbers with absorbing solution, 0.00040–0.060 mg per sample, HPLC with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD).

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — sampler: the card speaks of a glass-fibre filter coated with DNPH; AB 1207 gives DNPH-impregnated filters, while AB 849 gives sorbent tubes and AB 719 several kinds of samplers; whether a tube corresponds to the conditions of the standard does not follow from the card — the report should name the sampler. Second — limit of quantification: according to the card 0.04 mg/m³; AB 849 gives this limit, AB 1207 gives 0.005 mg/m³, which requires conditions different from those in the standard. Third — other aldehydes: at AB 1207 the item with PN-Z-04290 covers only glutaraldehyde (under the heading "aldehydes:"); the laboratory determines other aldehydes in a separate item according to ASTM D5197-21 and the same procedure PB-10A, on sorbent tubes (silica gel+DNPH) — a result for another aldehyde does not come from this standard. Fourth — the NDSCh of 0.6 mg/m³ is only half as high again as the NDS; a short-term measurement requires conditions which WE DO NOT GIVE.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — we do not give the amount of DNPH on the filter, the volume or flow rate of air sampling, the volume of acetonitrile, the column, the mobile phase, the detector required by the standard, the wavelength or calculations.

Method principle

Workplace air is passed through a glass-fibre filter coated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine; the resulting glutaraldehyde dinitrophenylhydrazone is extracted with acetonitrile and analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (PKN card). The result in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 0.4 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 0.6 mg/m³. Lowest determinable concentration according to the card — 0.04 mg/m³. WE DO NOT GIVE details — we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Workplace air — glutaraldehyde — in the current scopes of 3 laboratories
• Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 0.4 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 0.6 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 279 of the list)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04290:2002

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Oznaczanie glutaraldehydu na stanowiskach pracy metodą wysokosprawnej chromatografii cieczowej

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Determination of glutaraldehyde at workplaces by high-performance liquid chromatography

Step-by-step procedure

1. Sampling

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

2. Extraction

   Glutaraldehyde dinitrophenylhydrazone is extracted with acetonitrile (PKN card).

3. Analysis

   High-performance liquid chromatography of the extract (PKN card); WE DO NOT GIVE the conditions.

4. Result and assessment

   Concentration in mg/m³; comparison with the NDS of 0.4 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 0.6 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447); lowest determinable concentration 0.04 mg/m³.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Glutaraldehyde, DNPH and acetonitrile — chemical laboratory safety rules
• TECHNICAL NOTE: laboratories use different samplers (DNPH filter, tubes, scrubbers) and detectors; a bottom limit below 0.04 mg/m³ requires conditions different from those in the standard

Frequently asked questions