🌿 n-Octane in workplace air — gas chromatography with sample enrichment; MAC (NDS) 1000 mg/m³, STEL (NDSCh) 1800 mg/m³; PN-Z-04166-02:1986 (withdrawn 17-10-2011)
In short
Polish standard of 1986 with a method for determining n-octane in workplace air by gas chromatography with sample enrichment — that much is said by the title, because the PKN card has no "Scope" field. The test is performed according to PN-Z-04166-02:1986; Ranges in accreditation scopes: from 0.10 mg/m³ (AB 1642) to 5000 mg/m³ (AB 886). The procedure comprises 4 steps; it is used for: Workplace air — n-octane (in the scopes: "octane") — in the current scopes of 9 laboratories, despite the withdrawal of the standard, Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 1000 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 1800 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 447 of the list).
At a glance
- Standard: PN-Z-04166-02:1986
- Category: Environment
- Procedure steps: 4
- STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026): PN-Z-04166-02:1986 WITHDRAWN — withdrawal date 17-10-2011; the card names no replacing standard; PN-Z-04166-01:1986 also withdrawn
- Edition (from the PKN card): PN-Z-04166-02:1986, Polish version; published 30-06-1986, 3 pages, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30; card without a "Scope" field
- Method (title): gas chromatography with sample enrichment; the card gives no limit of quantification
Overview
WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. The PKN card has no "Scope" field — only the title speaks of the method: "Air purity protection -- Tests for n-octane content -- Determination of n-octane at workplaces by gas chromatography with sample enrichment" (our translation). The card gives neither the limit of quantification nor the sorbent. We did not have the text of the standard (3 pages); the CIOP index of methods from 2000–2017 lists no article on n-octane (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 447: "Octane [111-65-9]" — NDS 1000 mg/m³, NDSCh 1800 mg/m³, no "skin" notation.
STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04166-02:1986 (Polish version) has the heading "Withdrawn": published 30-06-1986, withdrawal date 17-10-2011, 3 pages, price group B, Health, Environment and Medicine Sector, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30; the card does not name a replacing standard. The PKN search for "PN-Z-04166" and "n-oktanu" (04.10.2026) returns only two parts of the series — PN-Z-04166-01:1986 (general provisions and scope of the standard) and PN-Z-04166-02:1986 — both labelled "Withdrawn"; it shows no current standard for n-octane.
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 04166-02 (with a hyphen, full stop or slash before the part number, also with a space) appears in 11 records at 9 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues from 24.11.2025 to 08.09.2026 — all issued after the withdrawal of the standard) — in 10 rows at the same laboratories (AB 886 has two records in the database copy and one row in PCA); a search of all PCA documents downloaded from the BIP found no laboratories outside the database copy; no item with this standard is suspended and no document repeats pages. Form "PN-Z-04166-02:1986" — AB 562 (next to procedure PB_42 edition 5 of 16.08.2022), AB 1642 and AB 882 (two items: next to PB-01 edition 5 of 12.01.2026 and PB-10 edition 1 of 31.08.2022); "PN-86/Z-04166/02" — AB 300 (next to instruction IN-59 ed. 3 of 18.12.2025), AB 581, AB 886 (next to procedure PB-02 edition no. 12 of 16.10.2023); "PN-86/Z-04166.02" — AB 746; "PN-86/Z 04166/02" — AB 1302; "PN-86/Z–04166/02" with an en dash — AB 1144. The "Laboratories" tab finds entries beginning with the query entered: "PN-Z-04166-02" shows 3 laboratories, "PN-86/Z-04166/02" — 3, "PN-86/Z-04166.02" — 1, "PN-86/Z 04166/02" — 1, and AB 1144 is found only under the query with the en dash "PN-86/Z–04166/02" — 9 in total, the same in the copy and on the production server labcoda.pl (tab queries of 04.10.2026).
WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy). Object: working environment — air, at some laboratories samples collected on sorbent tubes, sorption tubes or a solid sorbent. Quantity: concentration (content) of octane. Ranges in mg/m³: 0.10–2277 (AB 1642), 0.17–5000 (AB 886 — from the PCA document, the records in the copy have no range in mg/m³), 0.83–3600 (AB 300), 2.56–4248 (AB 882, GC-FID), 2.75–2250 (AB 581), 3.20–1840 (AB 1144), 4.44–3600 (AB 1302), 5–4000 (AB 562), 31.2–3600 (AB 746), 31.9–4179 (AB 882, GC-MS). Technique: gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) — all 9 laboratories; AB 882 also has a second item with gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) according to procedure PB-10.
WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — status: the standard has been withdrawn since 17-10-2011, and the PKN search shows no other standard for n-octane; 9 laboratories have it in scopes issued from November 2025 — the client should know that the result is produced according to a standard withdrawn from the PKN catalogue. Second — limit of quantification: the card does not give it, so the bottom limits of the laboratories (from 0.10 to 31.9 mg/m³) cannot be compared with it. Third — what is determined: the title of the standard and the NDS list (CAS 111-65-9) speak of n-octane, while the laboratory scopes speak of "octane"; whether the laboratories cover other octane isomers does not follow from the scopes. Fourth — searching: five written forms, including an en dash at AB 1144 — no single query in the tab shows all laboratories. Fifth — the NDSCh of 1800 mg/m³ requires a short-term measurement, the conditions of which WE DO NOT GIVE.
WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard, and the card has no "Scope" field — we do not give the method of sampling and enrichment, the sorbent, the solvent, the column, the detector required by the standard, chromatograph conditions, the limit of quantification or calculations. We do not claim that another standard has replaced PN-Z-04166-02:1986 — PKN names none.
Method principle
n-Octane in workplace air is determined by gas chromatography with sample enrichment (title of the standard); the result in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 1000 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 1800 mg/m³. The card has no "Scope" field and gives no limit of quantification. The standard is withdrawn (17-10-2011); WE DO NOT GIVE details — we did not have the text of the standard.
Applications
- Workplace air — n-octane (in the scopes: "octane") — in the current scopes of 9 laboratories, despite the withdrawal of the standard
- Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 1000 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 1800 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 447 of the list)
Key parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026) | PN-Z-04166-02:1986 WITHDRAWN — withdrawal date 17-10-2011; the card names no replacing standard; PN-Z-04166-01:1986 also withdrawn |
| Edition (from the PKN card) | PN-Z-04166-02:1986, Polish version; published 30-06-1986, 3 pages, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30; card without a "Scope" field |
| Method (title) | gas chromatography with sample enrichment; the card gives no limit of quantification |
| NDS / NDSCh (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 447) | 1000 mg/m³ / 1800 mg/m³ |
| Ranges in accreditation scopes | from 0.10 mg/m³ (AB 1642) to 5000 mg/m³ (AB 886) |
| Coverage in accreditation scopes (read 04.10.2026) | 9 laboratories, 11 records in the database copy, 10 rows in PCA; "Laboratories" tab: "PN-Z-04166-02" — 3, "PN-86/Z-04166/02" — 3, "PN-86/Z-04166.02" — 1, "PN-86/Z 04166/02" — 1, "PN-86/Z–04166/02" (en dash) — 1 (9 in total), the same on the production server |
Standard
- Standard number
- PN-Z-04166-02:1986
- Title (PL)
- Ochrona czystości powietrza — Badania zawartości n-oktanu — Oznaczanie n-oktanu na stanowiskach pracy metodą chromatografii gazowej z wzbogacaniem próbki
- Title (EN)
- Air purity protection — Tests for n-octane content — Determination of n-octane at workplaces by gas chromatography with sample enrichment
Step-by-step procedure
-
Status
PN-Z-04166-02:1986 withdrawn on 17-10-2011, with no named successor (card as of 04.10.2026).
-
Sampling and enrichment
The sample is enriched (title of the standard); WE DO NOT GIVE the method.
-
Analysis
Gas chromatography; WE DO NOT GIVE conditions.
-
Result and assessment
Concentration in mg/m³; comparison with the NDS of 1000 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 1800 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447).
Required equipment and apparatus
| Equipment | Example | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|
| Gas chromatograph | Determination of n-octane (title of the standard); the card does not give the detector or column | — |
Health and safety (OHS)
- TECHNICAL NOTE: standard withdrawn on 17-10-2011; card without a "Scope" field — the limit of quantification, sorbent and solvent are not known to us
Frequently asked questions
Which standard describes this test?
The test is performed according to PN-Z-04166-02:1986 — “Air purity protection — Tests for n-octane content — Determination of n-octane at workplaces by gas chromatography with sample enrichment”.
How does this method work?
n-Octane in workplace air is determined by gas chromatography with sample enrichment (title of the standard); the result in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 1000 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 1800 mg/m³. The card has no "Scope" field and gives no limit of quantification.
What is the measuring range and accuracy?
STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026): PN-Z-04166-02:1986 WITHDRAWN — withdrawal date 17-10-2011; the card names no replacing standard; PN-Z-04166-01:1986 also withdrawn; Edition (from the PKN card): PN-Z-04166-02:1986, Polish version; published 30-06-1986, 3 pages, KT 159 Chemical and Dust Hazards in the Working Environment, ICS 13.040.30; card without a "Scope" field; Method (title): gas chromatography with sample enrichment; the card gives no limit of quantification; NDS / NDSCh (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 447): 1000 mg/m³ / 1800 mg/m³.
How long does the test take?
The procedure comprises 4 steps. The standard does not give a duration for every stage — the laboratory's own procedure decides.
What equipment is required?
Gas chromatograph.
Where is this test used?
Workplace air — n-octane (in the scopes: "octane") — in the current scopes of 9 laboratories, despite the withdrawal of the standard; Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 1000 mg/m³ and the NDSCh of 1800 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 447 of the list).
What safety precautions apply?
TECHNICAL NOTE: standard withdrawn on 17-10-2011; card without a "Scope" field — the limit of quantification, sorbent and solvent are not known to us.
Which laboratory can perform this test?
The test is performed by laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. On LabCoda you can find them by the standard number PN-Z-04166-02.