What is ISO 16000‑6 about?
Sampling and testing the quality of workplace air ensures that your employees’ exposure to particles and gases is at acceptable levels. ISO 16000‑6 is the sixth part of the multi-series on indoor air. ISO 16000‑6 specifies a method for determination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in indoor air and in air sampled for the determination of the emission from products or materials used in indoor environments (according to ISO 16000‑1) using test chambers and test cells.
The method uses sorbent sampling tubes with subsequent thermal desorption (TD) and gas chromatographic analysis employing a capillary column and a mass spectrometric (MS) detector with or without an additional flame ionisation detector (FID).
Note: ISO 16000‑6 is applicable to the measurement of most GC-compatible vapour-phase organic compounds at concentrations ranging from micrograms per cubic metre to several milligrams per cubic metre. Many very volatile organic compounds (VVOC) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) can be analysed depending on the sorbents used.
Who is ISO 16000‑6 for?
ISO 16000‑6 on indoor air testing with gas chromatographic analysis is useful for:
- Organizations where air quality needs to be monitored
- Chemical laboratories
- Chemical scientists
- Pollution controls bodies / regulation bodies
- Health and safety professionals and bodies
Why should you use ISO 16000‑6?
ISO 16000‑6 establishes general requirements relating to the measurement of indoor air pollutants and the important conditions to be observed before or during the sampling of individual pollutants or groups of pollutants. Aspects of the determination (sampling and analysis) and the sampling strategy of specific pollutants or groups of pollutants are specified in the subsequent parts.
ISO 16000‑6 guides you to measure vapour phase organic compounds in indoor environments that include buildings with varying designs and purposes and cabins for different modes of transport, as well as measurement in product emission test chambers.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO 16000‑6:2021 supersedes ISO 16000‑6:2011, which is withdrawn. BS ISO 16000‑6:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to ISO 16000‑6:2011. These include:
- Other sorbents than Tenax TA® are allowed to be used
- Descriptions of VVOC and SVOC measurements are included in the mandatory part