Breathing air in accordance to EN12021
Is your breathing air already getting tested according to the NEN-EN 12021 guidelines?
EN12021 (in full: NEN-EN 12021) safeguards the requirements compressed gases should comply with when they are used for making mixed gases or when they are used as breathing air or respiratory protection. These requirements originate from the European standards that we maintain for products, procedures, services, etc., for example the safety of toys and fire safety. Therefore, it is by law required to have breathing air and filling stations checked by an accredited laboratory according to EN12021. 
NEN explained
NEN is the Royal Dutch Standardization Institute. This foundation connects parties and stakeholders and records the agreements they make in standards and guidelines. The NEN has 34.000 standards that can be divided by category:
- ISO and IEC: the international standards accepted by the Netherlands
- EN: European standards
- NEN: National standards
These standards are important for the safety of toys, fire safety, cyber security and sustainability. In some cases, the standards are even of vital importance.
Why EN12021?
Compressed gas or air that is intended for breathing in, should not contain contaminants. If the concentration of contaminants is toxic or harmful, you and your employees are at risk of suffering damage to your health and/or permanent (internal) injury. Thanks to the NEN-EN 12021 standard, you will know which requirements compressed gases should meet. With this standard, the purity and safety of breathing air can be checked and monitored.
What are the requirements of breathing air?
Breathing air should contain hardly any traceable oil. Furthermore, there are limit values for the amount of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and water. We check the composition of the air and whether the limit values for contamination are exceeded. Besides breathing air, we also check other types of air and gases according to the EN12021 standards, including:
- Synthetic air
- Low-nitrogen and nitrogen-enriched air
- Oxygen for ventilation
- Mixtures of oxygen with nitrogen and/or helium
NEDLAB Air and Gases
Is your breathing air already getting tested according to the NEN-EN 12021 guidelines? If it’s not, or if it has been a while, we strongly recommend that you take action as soon as possible. Would you like to know more about testing your breathing air according to the EN 12021 standard? Please contact us directly.
