🌿 Cumene (isopropylbenzene) in workplace air — adsorption on activated carbon, extraction with carbon disulphide and gas chromatography, PN-Z-04016-6

Environment PN-Z-04016-6

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. The scope from the PKN catalogue card, quoted in full: "A method is presented consisting in the adsorption of cumene vapour on activated carbon, its extraction with carbon disulphide and chromatographic analysis of the resulting solution. The lowest concentration of cumene that can be determined by this method is 10 mg/m3." The card uses the old Polish name "dwusiarczek węgla" for carbon disulphide.

STATUS (state of the card on 29 September 2026). The card of PN-Z-04016-6:1998 (Polish version) carries no withdrawal note — the standard is CURRENT. Published 07-09-1998, 4 pages, PKN technical committee KT 159 (Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment), ICS 13.040.30; the card has no "Supersedes" field. The PKN search for "PN-Z-04016" (29 September 2026) shows the whole series "Tests for benzene and its homologues with a saturated side chain": sheets 4 (trimethylbenzene), 5 (ethyltoluene), 6 (cumene), 7 (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes), 8 (diethylbenzene) and 10 (benzene) have no "Withdrawn" label; sheets 01–03 of 1989 and 9 (tetramethylbenzene) are labelled "Withdrawn". Sheets 4 and 10 have separate entries in this knowledge base.

LIMIT VALUES AND THE REGULATION ON THE METHOD. The NDS list — the annex to the regulation of 12 June 2018 as worded by the regulation of 26 March 2026 (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447), item 333 "Cumene" [98-82-8]: NDS (8-hour value) 50 mg/m³, NDSCh (short-term value) 250 mg/m³, "skin" notation. According to the explanatory note of the list, the "skin" notation means that "absorption of the substance through the skin may be as significant as exposure by inhalation" (our translation) — a measurement of the air concentration does not cover this route. The lowest concentration determinable according to the card (10 mg/m³) is one fifth of the NDS. The method is addressed by § 16 of the Regulation of the Minister of Health on tests and measurements of agents harmful to health in the working environment (consolidated text — Journal of Laws 2025 item 949): "Tests and measurements shall be carried out in accordance with the methods specified in Polish Standards and, where there are no such standards, with methods recommended and validated by the laboratories referred to in § 15(1) and (2)(1)" (our translation). This standard is a current Polish Standard; the regulation does not name it.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17 September 2026, read on 28 September 2026). All records of number 04016 with sheet 6: 14 entries at 13 laboratories. Forms: "PN-Z-04016-6:1998" — 11 laboratories (at AB 882 with procedure PB-01, at AB 1207 with PB-06A); "PN-Z-04016-06:1998" — the second entry of AB 882 (with procedure PB-10 and mass spectrometry); "PN-Z-04016.06:1998" with a dot — AB 1854 (with instruction IR-23); "PN-98/Z-04016/06" — AB 300 (with instruction IN-59). The "Laboratories" tab searches for records BEGINNING with "PN-Z-04016-6" and will show 11 laboratories — checked with the tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 29 September 2026: 11; AB 300 and AB 1854 remain outside it. Current scopes on the PCA website (read on 29 September 2026, issues from 26 November 2025 to 8 September 2026): all entries stand in the valid issues, every numerical range from the copy appears in the current document and no entry is suspended; AB 746 has entries suspended at its own request in its scope (issue no. 38 of 22 July 2026), but not this one.

TECHNIQUE AND RANGES. Gas chromatography with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) — 12 laboratories; with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) — AB 1207 and the second entry of AB 882. Lower limits in mg/m³: from 0.07 (AB 1642) and 0.17 (AB 481, AB 886, AB 1207) through 0.62 (AB 746), 0.79 (AB 882, GC-MS), 0.8 (AB 300), 1.90 (AB 1144), 2.75 (AB 581) and 5 (AB 632) to 5.60 (AB 340) and 8.1 (AB 882, GC-FID) — at all of them below the 10 mg/m³ of the card; AB 340 and the GC-FID entry of AB 882 start above one tenth of the NDS (5 mg/m³). Upper: from 400 (AB 481, AB 1144) to 2700 mg/m³ (AB 1207) — at all of them above the NDSCh. AB 869 and AB 1854 give only the mass of cumene in the sample.

ALONGSIDE THIS STANDARD. For cumene at workplaces the copy has, apart from this standard, only in-house procedures of laboratories (AB 438, AB 484, AB 522, AB 719, AB 849, AB 869, AB 875, AB 940, AB 1183; both entries of AB 522 are suspended at the request of the laboratory from 18.08.2026 to 14.02.2027) and the general record "Normy, Procedury badawcze" (standards, test procedures) (AB 934); there is no other standard for this determination.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — PKN sells it (4 pages). We do not give the type of tubes and amount of activated carbon, the air volume and flow, the volume of carbon disulphide, the columns and chromatographic conditions, the calibration curve, the formula or the precision.

Method principle

According to the card of the standard, cumene vapour from workplace air is adsorbed on activated carbon, extracted with carbon disulphide ("dwusiarczek węgla" on the card) and the resulting solution is analysed by gas chromatography; the lowest determinable concentration is 10 mg/m³. The result is compared with the NDS of 50 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 250 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 333). We DO NOT GIVE the air volume, extraction or chromatographic conditions — we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Measurements of cumene vapour in workplace air — assessment against the NDS of 50 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 250 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 333)
• In accreditation scopes: 13 laboratories, 12 with GC-FID, AB 1207 and AB 882 also with GC-MS

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04016-6:1998 (wersja polska)

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Badania zawartości benzenu i jego homologów z nasyconym łańcuchem bocznym — Oznaczanie kumenu na stanowiskach pracy metodą chromatografii gazowej

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Tests for benzene and its homologues with a saturated side chain — Determination of cumene at workplaces by gas chromatography

Step-by-step procedure

1. Status of the document

   PKN card: PN-Z-04016-6:1998 current (state of the card on 29 September 2026).

2. Sampling

   Cumene vapour is adsorbed on activated carbon (from the card). Air volume and flow NOT GIVEN.

3. Extraction

   Cumene is extracted from the activated carbon with carbon disulphide (from the card).

4. Chromatographic analysis

   Gas chromatography of the resulting solution; lowest determinable concentration 10 mg/m³ (from the card). Conditions NOT GIVEN.

5. Result and assessment

   The concentration in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 50 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 250 mg/m³. "Skin" notation: a measurement in air does not cover absorption through the skin.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Carbon disulphide is extremely flammable and toxic — extraction in a fume cupboard, away from ignition sources; its safety data sheet applies
• SUBSTANTIVE NOTE: cumene carries the "skin" notation in the NDS list — the result of an air measurement does not cover exposure through the skin

Frequently asked questions