🦠 Measurement of airborne microorganisms and microbial compounds at workplaces — general requirements: aim of measurement (worker exposure or biological characteristics of air), strategy with a sampling plan (agent, method and device, static or personal sampling, location, number, frequency and duration, transport), reference samples (outdoor air or air before work starts), and for determination — cell counting under the microscope, cultivation on agar media (CFU count) and determination of cell components (endotoxins, glucans, ergosterol); viruses excluded, PN-EN 13098

Microbiology PN-EN 13098

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. We read the text of the standard in the iTeh sample of SIST EN 13098:2019 (English text of EN 13098:2019): title page, contents, European foreword, introduction, Clauses 1–4 and Clause 5 up to the beginning of 5.4 “Measurement options” — the sample ends on page 11. We do not read Clauses 6–9 or Annexes A–E; we know their titles from the contents.

ACCORDING TO THE TEXT OF EN 13098:2019. The standard was prepared by CEN/TC 137 “Assessment of workplace exposure to chemical and biological agents”; CEN approved it on 10.06.2019, national standards had to implement it, and conflicting ones to withdraw, by March 2020 at the latest; it supersedes EN 13098:2000. Main changes from the previous edition according to the foreword: changed title, extended list of measurable bioaerosol compounds, new measuring techniques, new definitions (“allergen”, “cell count of microorganisms”, “glucan”, “microbial compound”, “mycotoxin”, “RFc-recombinant”), extended 5.3 on measurement strategy, updated Annexes A–C, new Annex E with formulas and examples for colony counting. Contents: 5 Measurement of microorganisms and microbial compounds (5.1 biological agents and properties, 5.2 aim of measurement, 5.3 strategy, 5.4 measurement options, uncertainty of measurement, 5.6 variability of exposure level), 6 Sampling (principles, samplers — categories and requirements, pumps, operator skills, transport and storage, documentation), 7 Analytical method (requirements, validation, documentation, culturable fraction, direct cell count by epifluorescence, light and scanning electron microscopy, microbial compounds), 8 Expression of results, 9 Test report, Annex A (informative) “Recommendations for selection of exposure measuring procedures”, Annex B (informative) “Sampling form example”, Annex C (normative) “Determination of airborne microorganisms by cultivation” (suspension, dilution and cultivation media, incubation temperature and period, colony counts, identification), Annex D (informative) “List of generic media”, Annex E (informative) “Formula and calculation examples for colony counting”. Introduction: representative assessment of exposure to airborne microbes is challenging; sampling equipment has its own limitations, e.g. for health-related aerosol fractions; some samplers measure only culturable microorganisms, others also the total cell count; preservation of samples and analysis introduce uncertainty through changes of the population and interferences. Scope (1): general requirements for the measurement of microorganisms and microbial compounds and guidelines for the assessment of workplace exposure, including determination of total and culturable numbers of microorganisms and of microbial compounds in workplace air; the standard does not apply to the measurement of viruses. References (2): EN 482 (requirements for procedures for measuring chemical agents), EN 1540 (terminology), EN ISO 13137 (pumps for personal sampling). Definitions (3) include: colony forming unit (CFU) — unit of the culturable number; one CFU may originate from a single microorganism, an aggregate or microorganisms on one particle, and the number of colonies depends on cultivation conditions; culturable number — microorganisms, single cells or aggregates able to form colonies on a solid medium; cell count of microorganisms — including non-viable ones; viable number of microorganisms — a viable organism is not necessarily culturable, so the culturable number is often only part of the viable number; endotoxin — lipopolysaccharide of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, the active (toxic) part being lipid A; endotoxin unit (EU) — standardized against a reference material; glucan — (1,3)-β-D-glucan of cell walls; impaction — deposition of particles accelerated through a nozzle onto a surface; impingement — impaction with dispersion into a liquid; filtration — retention of particles on a porous medium; Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL) and recombinant factor C (RFc) — reagents for endotoxin testing; physical sampling efficiency (collection of particles of given sizes), biological preservation efficiency (keeping viability and intact components) and total sampling efficiency — their product; sieve sampler — multi-orifice impactor; elevated level — above normal background. Agents (5.1): bioaerosols can contain bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae and viruses and components derived from them; exposure can result in immunological (e.g. allergic) and toxic reactions and infections. Aim (5.2): assessment of workers’ exposure or of the biological characteristics of air at different locations and times; the purpose of the measurement and how results will be interpreted must be stated; tasks can be locating sources, measuring exposure during a shift, identifying peaks, testing control measures. Strategy (5.3): the action plan comprises objectives, task, background information and sampling strategy; when setting objectives it has to be considered that no occupational exposure limits (OELs) are available for interpreting the data; background information — sources on site, expected agents, route of exposure and exposed persons, expected concentrations, variability in space, time and particle size. Sampling plan (5.3.5) specifies what, where, when and how to measure: target agents and analytical methods, sampling method (device, collection substrate, flow rate), type of sampling (static or personal), parameters (location, number, frequency, duration) and transport requirements; environmental conditions (humidity, temperature, wind) and passive methods (swabs, electrostatic dust collectors) can be useful; if background exposure is not known, reference samples must be taken for assessing results — outdoor air, non-exposed workplace air (e.g. another office in the same area) or air before work starts; it must be verified that the strategy is representative of exposure. Measurement options (5.4, beginning): direct counting of cells under the microscope (culturable, viable non-culturable and non-viable), counting cells and aggregates by culturing on agar media (culturable number), quantification of cell components, e.g. endotoxin, glucans and ergosterol — the rest of the subclause lies outside the sample.

STATUS (as of 03.10.2026). In the PKN search (query “13098”, 03.10.2026) PN-EN 13098:2020-01 (English version, “Wprowadza: EN 13098:2019 [IDT]”) carries no withdrawal note; PN-EN 13098:2007 (Polish version, introduced EN 13098:2000) — “Wycofana i zastąpiona przez PN-EN 13098:2020-01 – wersja angielska”, and PN-EN 13098:2002 (English version) — withdrawn and replaced by PN-EN 13098:2007. Card of PN-EN 13098:2020-01: publication date 20.01.2020, 44 pages, KT 159 Zagrożeń Chemicznych i Pyłowych w Środowisku Pracy, ICS 07.100.99 and 13.040.30, “Zastępuje PN-EN 13098:2007 – wersja polska”, no withdrawal note. In the iTeh catalogue (read 03.10.2026) SIST EN 13098:2019 (implementing EN 13098:2019) has the status “Published”, replacing SIST EN 13098:2003.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17.09.2026, read 03.10.2026). The number 13098 appears in 8 records at 3 laboratories: AB 313 (6), AB 418, AB 462. In the current PCA documents (read 03.10.2026; AB 418 issue no. 37 of 26.01.2026, AB 462 issue no. 31 of 27.04.2026, AB 313 issue no. 43 of 08.07.2026) the number appears in 8 lines at the same 3 laboratories; in each document the number of page markers equals the number of PDF pages, without repetitions; a search of all PCA documents downloaded from the BIP on 03.10.2026 found no laboratories outside the database copy. The form is always “PN-EN 13098:2020-01”: on its own (AB 313 — sampling by filtration; AB 462), together with the test procedures PB-DMP-71 version 01 and PB-DMP-72 version 01 of 25.02.2021 (AB 313 — counts of bacteria and fungi, 4 records), with instruction IR-79 issue I of 06.08.2020 (AB 418) and after ISO 8573-7:2003 (AB 313 — sampling by impaction). None of these items is suspended. The “Laboratories” tab (query “PN-EN 13098”) shows all 3 laboratories — checked by a tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 03.10.2026.

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (items in PCA). Object: air (AB 313, AB 418) and environmental samples — air from food production and trade areas and from areas not related to food (AB 462). Sampling for microbiological tests: by impaction and aspiration (AB 418), by impaction and by filtration (AB 313), by impaction (AB 462). Tests (AB 313 only): count of bacteria at 30 °C and count of fungi — total count of moulds and yeasts — by the plate method for samples collected by impaction or filtration; the items give no numerical ranges.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. Interpretation: there are no occupational exposure limits for airborne microorganisms (5.3.2), so a result without a measurement aim and without a reference sample (outdoor air, non-exposed workplace, air before work — 5.3.5) does not tell whether the level is elevated. Culturable count: CFU is not a cell count — a colony may grow from an aggregate, and viable cells do not always grow on the medium (3.6, 3.24); the culture result underestimates the number of viable microorganisms, while the microscopic cell count also includes non-viable ones (3.5). Sampler: total sampling efficiency is the product of physical and biological efficiency (3.23) — a sampler that collects particles well may damage microbes. Scope: the standard does not apply to viruses (1). Joint reference: at AB 313 sampling by impaction stands next to ISO 8573-7:2003 (compressed air — test method for viable microbiological contaminant content; in the iTeh catalogue “Published”, stage 90.92 — to be revised, read 03.10.2026) together with PN-EN 13098, and by filtration — with PN-EN 13098 alone; the counts of bacteria and fungi stand next to the laboratory’s own procedures, and PN-EN 13098 is a framework for them, not a working instruction. Earlier standard: the title of PN-EN 13098:2007 spoke of “guidelines” for microorganisms and endotoxins; since 2020 the standard covers a wider set of components and techniques.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. Requirements for samplers and pumps, transport and storage of samples, validation of methods, expression of results, incubation temperatures and times from Annex C or colony-counting formulas from Annex E are not quoted — they lie outside the sample. We have not checked the status of the referenced standards (EN 482, EN 1540, EN ISO 13137).

Method principle

Measurement starts with the aim (worker exposure or characteristics of the air), the task and information on sources and expected agents; the sampling plan specifies the target agent and analytical method, the device, collection substrate and flow rate, static or personal sampling, location, number, frequency and duration, and transport. If the background is unknown, reference samples are taken. Microorganisms are collected by impaction, impingement or filtration and determined by cultivation (CFU count), cell counting under the microscope or determination of cell components (endotoxins, glucans, ergosterol).

Applications

• Assessment of workers’ exposure to airborne microorganisms and microbial compounds at workplaces; biological characteristics of air at different places and times (1, 5.2)
• Not applicable to viruses (1)
• Sampling of air for microbiological tests (also in food plants) and counts of bacteria at 30 °C and fungi — items in the accreditation scopes of 3 laboratories in PCA

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 13098:2020-01

Title (PL)

Narażenie na stanowiskach pracy — Pomiar mikroorganizmów i produktów pochodzenia drobnoustrojowego zawieszonych w powietrzu — Wymagania ogólne

Title (EN)

Workplace exposure — Measurement of airborne microorganisms and microbial compounds — General requirements

Step-by-step procedure

1. Aim and task

   Worker exposure or characteristics of the air; interpretation without OELs (5.2, 5.3.2, 5.3.3). PN-EN 13098:2020-01 with no withdrawal note in PKN (03.10.2026).

2. Background information

   Sources, expected agents and concentrations, exposure routes, variability in space, time and particle size (5.3.4).

3. Sampling plan

   Method and device, substrate, flow rate, static or personal, location, number, frequency, duration, transport (5.3.5).

4. Reference samples

   With unknown background: outdoor air, non-exposed workplace or before work (5.3.5).

5. Determination

   Cultivation (CFU), microscopy or cell components (5.4; requirements in Clauses 7–8 and Annex C, outside the sample).

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Bioaerosols can cause allergic and toxic reactions and infections (5.1) — respiratory protection when sampling in exposure zones
• Microbial cultures — work according to biosafety rules, disposal of media after testing

Frequently asked questions