🌫️ PM10 / PM2.5 particulate matter concentration in air

Environmental PN-EN 12341

Overview

STATUS (as of 06.11.2026). PN-EN 12341:2024-01 — English version, published on 29.01.2024, implements EN 12341:2023 [IDT]; it replaced PN-EN 12341:2014-07 (English version), withdrawn on the same day. The PKN card has no withdrawal note — the standard is current. EN 12341:2023 superseded EN 12341:2014; the technical changes are listed in Annex I of the standard. The Polish regulation on the assessment of substance levels in air still cites the PN-EN 12341:2014-07 edition, while the new EU ambient air quality directive cites EN 12341:2023 (details below).

SCOPE (clause 1). The standard specifies a standard method for determining the PM10 or PM2.5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter in ambient air by sampling the particulate matter on filters and weighing them. Measurements are performed with samplers with inlets as specified in Annex A, at a nominal flow rate of 2.3 m³/h and a nominal sampling period of 24 h, in rural areas, urban background, traffic-orientated locations and locations influenced by industrial sources. Results are expressed in µg/m³, with the air volume at ambient conditions near the inlet at the time of sampling. The range of application for 24 h measurements is from approximately 1 µg/m³ (the limit of detection expressed as uncertainty) up to 150 µg/m³ for PM10 and 120 µg/m³ for PM2.5; a note allows extension to about 200 µg/m³ with suitable filters. The standard mainly concerns sequential samplers with a filter changer but does not exclude single-filter samplers.

DEFINITION (3.1.16). PMx is particulate matter small enough to pass through a size-selective inlet with a 50 % efficiency cut-off at x µm aerodynamic diameter — the measurand is thus defined by convention through the inlet design and operating conditions, since there are no reference materials for PM10 or PM2.5 (introduction of the standard).

PRINCIPLE (4.1). Air passes through a size-selective inlet at a known, constant flow rate, and the PM fraction is collected on a filter for nominally 24 h. The mass of PM is determined by weighing the filter before and after sampling at pre-specified, constant conditions. The result is affected by: the inlet design, the flow rate, deposition losses in the pipework between the inlet and the filter, volatilization of water and semi-volatile PM between sampling and weighing, and changes in filter mass (water, semi-volatile compounds, buoyancy, static electricity) — the standard sets requirements to minimize these effects.

QUALITY CONTROL (4.2). With each measurement: filter handling and conditioning, weighing room conditions, balance check and blank filters (clause 6 — weighing room blanks and field blanks). Less frequently: calibration of flow and balance, inlet cleaning and leak test of the system (clause 7). Measurement uncertainty is evaluated in accordance with clause 9 (GUM concept).

SAMPLERS (5.1.1). A newly procured reference sampler shall comply fully with the current edition. Type testing is performed by a competent body on two samplers of the same model in the laboratory and in the field, type approval is awarded by the competent authority of a Member State, and the type testing report shall be publicly available. Older samplers, including those described in Annex B of the 2014 edition, can still be used for monitoring and ongoing quality control if a justified additional allowance is made to their uncertainty.

REGULATIONS. In Poland the limit values for the protection of human health are: PM10 — 50 µg/m³ for 24 hours (35 exceedances permitted per year) and 40 µg/m³ for a year; PM2.5 — 20 µg/m³ for a year from 2020 (phase II; previously 25 µg/m³) — Dz.U. 2021 item 845, Annex 1 No 6–7. The reference methodology in the regulation on the assessment of substance levels is still PN-EN 12341:2014-07 (Dz.U. 2024 item 870, Annex 7 Table 1 No 7). The new Directive (EU) 2024/2881 on ambient air quality names EN 12341:2023 as the reference method, repeals Directive 2008/50/EC with effect from 12 December 2026, and Member States transpose it by 11 December 2026.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE HERE. Weighing room conditions, filter conditioning time, requirements for the balance and filter material, flow tolerances or inlet dimensions — they are in 5.1.5–7 and the annexes of the standard, outside the available text. The changes of the 2023 edition compared with 2014 (listed in Annex I).

Method principle

Ambient air flows at a constant nominal flow rate through a size-selective inlet as specified in Annex A of the standard, and the particulate matter passing the inlet is collected on a filter for nominally 24 h. The filter is weighed before and after sampling at pre-specified, constant conditions, and the mass gain divided by the air volume at ambient conditions near the inlet gives the concentration in µg/m³. The nominal flow rate is 2.3 m³/h; the PM10 or PM2.5 fraction is particulate matter passing an inlet with a 50 % efficiency cut-off at 10 or 2.5 µm aerodynamic diameter.

Applications

• Determination of PM10 or PM2.5 concentration in ambient air — rural areas, urban background, traffic-orientated locations and locations influenced by industrial sources (clause 1)
• Assessment of compliance with limit values: PM10 50 µg/m³ for a day and 40 µg/m³ for a year, PM2.5 20 µg/m³ for a year (Poland: Dz.U. 2021 item 845)
• Reference methodology for assessing levels of suspended particulate matter (Poland: Dz.U. 2024 item 870, Annex 7 — 2014 edition; Directive (EU) 2024/2881 — 2023 edition)
• Sampling of particulate matter for further determinations: heavy metals and PAH (EN 14902, EN 15549) and PM2.5 constituents (EN 16909, EN 16913) — introduction of the standard
• Demonstration of equivalence of candidate methods, including automated ones, in accordance with EN 16450 (clause 1, note 2)
• Type testing of samplers by a competent body (5.1.1)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 12341:2024-01

Title (PL)

Powietrze atmosferyczne — Standardowa grawimetryczna metoda pomiarowa oznaczania stężeń masowych frakcji PM10 lub PM2,5 pyłu zawieszonego

Title (EN)

Ambient air — Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter

Step-by-step procedure

1. Conditioning and weighing of filters before sampling

   Condition and weigh the clean filters in the weighing room in accordance with 6.3 of the standard.

2. Loading cassettes

   Load the filters into the sampler cassettes (6.4.1).

3. Sampling

   Sample air through the size-selective inlet at a constant nominal flow rate of 2.3 m³/h for nominally 24 h per filter (clause 1, 4.1, 6.4.2).

4. Storage and transport

   Store and transport the filters in accordance with 6.4.3, limiting the loss of water and semi-volatile constituents (4.1).

5. Conditioning and weighing after sampling

   Condition and weigh the loaded filters in accordance with 6.5 and the weighing room procedures (6.6).

6. Blank filters

   Run weighing room blanks and field blanks (6.7).

7. Calculation

   Concentration = mass of particulate matter (difference between filter mass after and before sampling) divided by the air volume at ambient conditions near the inlet; result in µg/m³ (clause 1, clause 8).

8. Ongoing quality control

   Check and calibrate the sensors, flow rate and balance, clean the inlet, perform the leak test and check the sampler clock (clause 7).

9. Uncertainty

   Evaluate the uncertainty in accordance with clause 9 and compare it with the data quality objectives.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• The standard contains no safety requirements; the rules for working at the monitoring station and in the weighing room are set by the laboratory on the basis of a risk assessment

Frequently asked questions