🌿 Sevoflurane (inhalation anaesthetic) in workplace air — adsorption of vapour on activated carbon, desorption with toluene, gas chromatography; lowest determinable concentration according to the standard 2 mg/m³, MAC (NDS) 55 mg/m³; PN-Z-04429:2011

Environment PN-Z-04429

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN card, in full: "A method is given consisting of adsorption of sevoflurane vapour on activated carbon, desorption of the compound with toluene and analysis of the resulting solution by gas chromatography. The lowest sevoflurane concentration that can be determined by this method is 2 mg/m3" (our translation; no full stop at the end on the card). The card does not give the detector. We did not have the text of the standard (7 pages).

ACCORDING TO THE CIOP PROCEDURE (M. Kucharska, W. Wesołowski, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, "Sevoflurane – method of determination", Podstawy i Metody Oceny Środowiska Pracy 2008, no. 1(55), pp. 49–55 — read in full). The procedure was published three years before the standard, with the same principle (activated carbon, desorption with toluene) and the same determinability of 2 mg/m³; we do not claim that the standard repeats it. In the procedure: "petroleum charcoal" activated carbon, glass tube about 100 mm with layers of 100 and 250 mg; 5 l of air at a flow rate up to 3 l/h, personal dosimetry pumps recommended; samples stable in a freezer for no longer than 7 days; desorption with 1 ml of toluene for 30 min; gas chromatograph with mass detector (MSD, EI ionisation, SIM mode — masses 131.0 and 181.0), helium carrier gas, e.g. non-polar column 50 m × 0.2 mm, film 0.5 µm (HP-PONA); calibration curve 10–750 µg in 1 ml, which for 5 l of air gives 2–150 mg/m³; when other organic compounds are present, it must be checked that they do not have the same retention time; the amount in the shorter layer should not exceed 10 % of that in the longer one, otherwise the result is indicative. Validation data: limit of quantification 2.79 µg/ml, correlation coefficient 0.999, overall precision 5.10 %, total uncertainty 15.76 %. The procedure gives the NDS of 55 mg/m³ in force at the time. According to the procedure, sevoflurane degrades in contact with carbon dioxide absorbents, e.g. in anaesthesia equipment.

NDS VALUE (list in the annex to the regulation of 26 March 2026, Journal of Laws 2026 item 447). Item 490: "Sevoflurane [28523-86-6]" — NDS 55 mg/m³, no NDSCh and no "skin" notation. The lowest determinable concentration according to the card, 2 mg/m³, is about 4 % of the NDS.

STATUS (card as of 04.10.2026). The card of PN-Z-04429:2011 (Polish version) has neither the heading "Withdrawn" nor a "Withdrawal date" line: published 09-09-2011, 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 PKN search for "PN-Z-04429" and "sewofluranu" (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 04429 appears in 6 records at 5 laboratories; in the current PCA documents (read on 03.10.2026; issues from 29.01.2026 to 28.07.2026) — in 6 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. All entries have the form "PN-Z-04429:2011": AB 647, AB 875, AB 1642, AB 1207 (together with procedure PB-06D issue 7 of 20.01.2025) and AB 882 (two items: "excluding item 5.1" together with procedure PB-01 issue 5 of 12.01.2026, GC-FID; together with PB-10 issue 1 of 31.08.2022, GC-MS). The "Laboratories" tab (query "PN-Z-04429") shows all 5 laboratories — checked with a tab query on the production server labcoda.pl on 04.10.2026. These are the same laboratories that cite the isoflurane standard PN-Z-04423:2011 (a separate entry in this database).

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (database copy). Object: working environment — air, samples collected on activated carbon tubes, sorbent tubes or solid sorbent; at AB 1207 the object recorded in the copy covers, besides the working environment, also samples of ambient and indoor air. Quantity: concentration (content) of sevoflurane. Ranges in mg/m³: 0.17–417 (AB 1207, GC-MS), 0.29–110 (AB 647), 2.0–450.0 (AB 875, GC-MS), 2.33–117 (AB 882, GC-FID), 2.37–118 (AB 882, GC-MS), 3.20–200 (AB 1642). Technique: gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) — AB 647, AB 1642 and one AB 882 item; with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) — AB 875, AB 1207 and the other AB 882 item.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First — other anaesthetics and organic compounds: the CIOP procedure requires a column separating sevoflurane from other anaesthetics, toluene and other substances in the air, and, when other organic compounds are present, a check of their retention times. Second — detector: the card does not give the detector; the CIOP procedure used a mass detector, while 3 laboratories give GC-FID with the standard — selectivity should be demonstrated. Third — sample stability: according to the procedure no longer than 7 days in a freezer. Fourth — limit of quantification: according to the card 2 mg/m³; AB 1207 (0.17) and AB 647 (0.29) give a lower bottom limit, which requires conditions different from those in the standard, AB 1642 a higher one (3.20). Fifth — AB 882 excludes item 5.1 of the standard, whose content we do not know.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — we do not give the detector, the column, the volume or flow rate of air sampling, chromatograph conditions or calculations according to the standard; data from the CIOP procedure are given as procedure data.

Method principle

Sevoflurane vapour from workplace air is adsorbed on activated carbon, desorbed with toluene, and the solution is analysed by gas chromatography (PKN card); the result in mg/m³ is compared with the NDS of 55 mg/m³. The lowest determinable concentration according to the card is 2 mg/m³. WE DO NOT GIVE details of the standard — we did not have its text; the 2008 CIOP procedure (5 l of air, 1 ml of toluene, GC with mass detector in SIM mode) is described separately.

Applications

• Workplace air, especially operating theatres — sevoflurane — in the current scopes of 5 laboratories
• Assessment of occupational exposure against the NDS of 55 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447, item 490 of the list)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-Z-04429:2011

Title (PL)

Ochrona czystości powietrza — Oznaczanie sewofluranu na stanowiskach pracy metodą chromatografii gazowej

Title (EN)

Air purity protection — Determination of sevoflurane at workplaces by gas chromatography

Step-by-step procedure

1. Sampling

   Adsorption of vapour on activated carbon (PKN card); in the CIOP procedure 5 l at ≤ 3 l/h, samples up to 7 days in a freezer.

2. Desorption

   With toluene (PKN card); in the CIOP procedure — each layer separately, 1 ml, 30 min.

3. Analysis

   Gas chromatography (PKN card); in the CIOP procedure — mass detector in SIM mode, check of retention times of co-occurring compounds.

4. Result and assessment

   Concentration in mg/m³; comparison with the NDS of 55 mg/m³ (Journal of Laws 2026 item 447); lowest determinable concentration 2 mg/m³.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Toluene — according to the CIOP procedure, work with solvents in an efficient laboratory fume hood, wearing gloves and protective clothing
• TECHNICAL NOTE: with other anaesthetics and organic compounds in the air, separation must be demonstrated; samples stable up to 7 days (CIOP procedure)

Frequently asked questions