🌿 Number of bacteria in ambient air (immission) — sampling by the aspiration and sedimentation methods (title of the standard), plate method in the laboratories' scopes; PN-Z-04111-02:1989 (withdrawn 25-08-2015); the "Scope" field on the PKN card concerns methylene chloride, not this standard

Environment PN-Z-04111-02

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Title from the PKN card: "Air purity protection — Microbiological tests — Determination of the number of bacteria in ambient air (immission) with sampling by the aspiration and sedimentation methods" (our translation). The "Scope" field on the same card reads in full: "The method is used for determining the concentrations of methylene chloride vapours in workplace air when inspecting sanitary and hygienic conditions." (our translation) — this is a description of another standard (methylene chloride has its own series PN-Z-04110 in the catalogue), so the "Scope" field says nothing about this standard. The title gives only the object (number of bacteria, ambient air — immission) and two sampling methods (aspiration and sedimentation). We did not have the text of the standard (5 pages).

STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04111-02:1989 (Polish version) carries the heading "Withdrawn": published 02-05-1989, withdrawal date 25-08-2015, 5 pages, price group C, Health, Environment and Medicine Sector, KT 280 Air Quality, ICS 07.100.99 and 13.040.20; the card names no replacing standard. The PKN search for "PN-Z-04111" (04.10.2026) shows three sheets of the series "Microbiological tests" — 01:1989 (general provisions and scope of the standard), 02:1989 (bacteria) and 03:1989 (microscopic fungi in ambient air, aspiration method) — all labelled "Withdrawn". We did not search for other standards on the number of bacteria in air for this entry and name none.

REFERENCE VALUES. The text of the NDS list (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447) contains none of the words "bakterie", "drobnoustroje" or "mikroorganizmy" (bacteria, microbes, microorganisms; searched on 04.10.2026) — the list gives no value for the number of bacteria in air; this entry gives no reference values for the results.

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 04111-02 (with any sheet separator) appears in 5 records at 2 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues of 26.01.2026 and 07.08.2026 — both after the withdrawal of the standard) — in 2 rows at the same laboratories (at AB 510 one row covers four records of the copy); 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. AB 418 — "PN-89/Z-04111.02"; AB 510 — "PB-ZL-8, wyd. 2, z dn. 20.01.2020 opracowana na podstawie Instrukcji obsługi aparatu MAS-100 Eco MERCK i PN- 89/Z-04111/02-03" (own procedure based on the sampler manual and sheets 02 and 03). The "Laboratories" tab for "PN-89/Z-04111.02" shows 1 laboratory (AB 418); AB 510 is visible there only under a key beginning with "PB-ZL-8…", because its reference-document element begins with the procedure — checked with tab queries in the copy and on the labcoda.pl production server on 04.10.2026.

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy and PCA documents). Object at both: "Air". AB 418 — number of bacteria at 37 °C, plate method (pour plate); in the adjacent row it determines the number of fungi according to PN-89/Z-04111/03. AB 510 — sampling for microbiological tests by the impaction method and total number of microorganisms, number of moulds and yeasts and number of fungi by the plate method. The copy gives no ranges.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — the card: the "Scope" field describes methylene chloride, so whoever reads only the card gets the description of the wrong standard; only the title speaks of the method. Second — sampling method: the title names the aspiration and sedimentation methods, while AB 510 collects samples by the impaction method according to the instrument manual — whether these are the conditions of the standard does not follow from the scope. Third — object: the standard concerns ambient air (immission); the scopes say generally "Air" — if a laboratory tests indoor or workplace air in this way, it applies the standard outside the object in its title. Fourth — quantities: the title of sheet 02 speaks of bacteria; AB 510 determines moulds, yeasts and fungi with reference to sheets 02 and 03 together, and AB 418 determines fungi according to sheet 03. Fifth — status: the whole series is withdrawn, and both laboratories have it in scopes issued in 2026. Sixth — the "Laboratories" tab will not show AB 510 under the standard number.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard, and the card carries the "Scope" field of another standard — we do not give the sampling volume or time, the medium, the incubation temperature and time (apart from "37 °C" from the scope of AB 418), the counting method or calculations. We do not claim that another standard has replaced PN-Z-04111-02:1989 — PKN names none.

Method principle

According to the title of the standard: determination of the number of bacteria in ambient air (immission) with sampling by the aspiration and sedimentation methods. The "Scope" field on the PKN card describes another standard (methylene chloride), so WE DO NOT GIVE the principle of the method — we did not have the text of the standard. The laboratories count colonies by the plate method. The standard is withdrawn (25-08-2015).

Applications

• Microbiological tests of air — number of bacteria (AB 418), total number of microorganisms, moulds, yeasts and fungi (AB 510 together with sheet 03), despite the withdrawal of the standard
• Ambient air (immission) according to the title of the standard; the laboratories' scopes say generally "Air"

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04111-02:1989

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Badania mikrobiologiczne — Oznaczanie liczby bakterii w powietrzu atmosferycznym (imisja) przy pobieraniu próbek metodą aspiracyjną i sedymentacyjną

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Microbiological tests — Determination of the number of bacteria in ambient air (immission) with sampling by the aspiration and sedimentation methods

Step-by-step procedure

1. Status and card

   PN-Z-04111-02:1989 withdrawn on 25-08-2015, with no successor named; the "Scope" field on the card describes another standard (card as of 04.10.2026).

2. Sampling

   By the aspiration or sedimentation method (title of the standard); WE DO NOT GIVE the volume or time.

3. Incubation and counting

   The laboratories use the plate method (AB 418 — pour plate, bacteria at 37 °C); WE DO NOT GIVE the conditions of the standard.

4. Result

   Number of bacteria in air; the NDS list gives no value for it — the entry gives no reference values.

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• Samples for microbiological tests — microbiological laboratory safety rules
• TECHNICAL NOTE: the "Scope" field on the PKN card concerns methylene chloride, not this standard; standard withdrawn on 25-08-2015

Frequently asked questions