Breathing Air Quality Tests & Certification

Need breathing air certification?

BREATHE EASY: Certified Breathing Air Quality Testing by PCM AIRPOWER

When compressed air is used for breathing applications—whether for diving, fire services, abrasive blasting hoods, or medical purposes—its purity is a matter of life and death. PCM AIRPOWER provides an essential, specialized Breathing Air Quality Testing Service to ensure your air supply is safe, compliant, and certified.

Our experienced, certified service engineers use the internationally recognized Draeger tube method to accurately test your air supply at the point of use, guaranteeing that your air meets the most stringent global standards.

The Importance of Certified Breathing Air

Unlike general industrial air, breathing air must be virtually free of harmful contaminants. Failure to maintain high-quality breathing air can lead to serious health risks, including asphyxiation, carbon monoxide poisoning, or long-term damage from particulate inhalation.

A regular, certified test from PCM AIRPOWER ensures:

• Safety Compliance: Meet legal obligations and protect the health of your team or clients.
• Audit Readiness: Receive a formal Pass / Fail Certificate providing auditable proof of compliance.
• Equipment Protection: Prevent moisture and contaminants from damaging high-value breathing apparatus and cylinders.

 Standards and Permissible Contaminant Levels

Our testing service is strictly conformant to the leading international and European standards for respiratory air supply. We test for all critical contaminants, including oil, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water, and particulate matter.

 

Contaminant	International Standard (EN 12021:2014)	Other Conforming Standards	Permissible Level
Oxygen O2	EN 12021:2014	BS EN 12021:2014	21± 1% pm 1% by volume (Balance Nitrogen/Inert Gas)
Water Content	EN 12021:2014	ISO 8573-1:2010 (Class 2)	Max 50 mg/m3 at ambient pressure*
Carbon Monoxide (CO)	EN 12021:2014	BS 4275, ISO 8573-1	Max 5 ppm (parts per million)
Carbon Dioxide CO2	EN 12021:2014	BS 4275, ISO 8573-1	Max 500 ppm
Lubricant Oil Content	EN 12021:2014	ISO 8573-1:2010 (Class 1)	Max 0.5 mg/m3
Odour/Taste	EN 12021:2014	N/A	Must be free from significant odour and taste
Particulate	EN 12021:2014	ISO 8573-1:2010 (Class 1)	Must be visually free from dirt and liquids

*For cylinders subject to breathing apparatus requirements, the pressure dew point must be sufficiently low to prevent condensation and freezing (e.g., minimum 5C lower than the lowest likely temperature).

The Draeger Tube Method: Precision You Can Trust

Our highly experienced service engineers rely on the proven, robust Draeger tube method for accurate, on-site sampling.

• How it Works: Air is passed through calibrated glass detector tubes containing reagents. Each tube is specific to a contaminant (e.g., CO, $\text{CO}_2$, water vapour). If the contaminant is present, the reagent changes colour, and the length of the colour change directly corresponds to the contaminant concentration.
• Accuracy: This method provides a reliable, immediate reading, allowing our engineers to assess compliance rapidly and identify potential issues on the spot.
• Certification: All equipment is regularly calibrated to ensure the highest level of measurement accuracy, guaranteeing the integrity of your Pass / Fail Certificate.

Your Compliance Partner

PCM AIRPOWER doesn’t just provide a test; we provide a partnership in safety. If your air supply fails the test, our engineers can offer immediate advice on the required filtration, drying, or compressor system maintenance needed to bring your air back up to the mandatory standard.

Secure the safety of your personnel and guarantee your regulatory compliance.

Ready to book your certified breathing air quality test?

Would you like to schedule an appointment with one of our service engineers?