Volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Associations with rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue

Abstract

• Xylene, formaldehyde and NO 2 in schools in Malaysia can be associated with fatigue among students.• Formaldehyde and NO 2 in the classrooms can be associated with ocular symptoms.• The indoor and outdoor levels of benzene were often above the EU standard for ambient air. This paper studied associations between volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in schools in Malaysia and rhinitis, ocular, nasal and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue among students. Pupils from eight randomly selected junior high schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia (N = 462), participated (96%). VOC, formaldehyde and NO 2 were measured by diffusion sampling (one week) and VOC also by pumped air sampling during class. Associations were calculated by multi-level logistic regression adjusting for personal factors, the home environment and microbial compounds in the school dust. The prevalence of weekly rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms were 18.8%, 11.6%, 15.6%, and 11.1%, respectively. Totally 20.6% had weekly headache and 22.1% fatigue. Indoor CO 2 were low (range 380-690 ppm). Indoor median NO 2 and formaldehyde concentrations over one week were 23 μg/m 3 and 2.0 μg/m G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Contents lists available at ScienceDirectScience of the Total Environment j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n v in schools can be risk factors for ocular and throat symptoms and fatigue among students in Malaysia. The indoor and outdoor levels of benzene were often higher than the EU standard of 5 μg/m 3 .

Identification of Health Risk Factors and Their Parameters

“…In a study among students in schools in Malaysia (N = 462 pupils), formaldehyde and other selected indoor air pollutants were associated with rhinitis, ocular, nasal and dermal symptoms, headache, and fatigue. Norbäck et al (2017) arrived at similar findings. Formaldehyde was associated with ocular (p = 0.004), throat symptoms (p = 0.006) and fatigue (p = 0.001).…”

“…The systematic review included eight studies that found associations between asthma and high levels of PM, VOC and endotoxins (Erklavec et al 2017). Norbäck et al (2017) studied associations between VOC, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and CO 2 in schools in Malaysia (N = 462 pupils) and rhinitis, ocular, nasal and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue among students. The prevalences of weekly rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms were 18.8%, 11.6%, 15.6%, and 11.1%, respectively.…”

Methods for Early Detection of Microbiological Infestation of Buildings Based on Gas Sensor Technologies

“…Contamination of the internal environment with fungi and, thus, increased occurrence of SBS is mainly caused by the presence of microbiological volatile organic compounds (MVOC), which are a subgroup of volatile organic compounds (VOC)-considered to be carcinogenic-mycotoxins, fungal spores, and fragments of mycelium [58,[64][65][66][67][68]. These substances are secondary metabolites produced by fermentation and are volatile due to their physicochemical properties [69,70].…”

A Review of Studies Related to Sick Building Syndrome Among Office Personnel

“…SBS was initially studied within office buildings and subsequently extended to residential buildings (Barmark, 2015;Smedje, Wang, Norbäck, Nilsson, & Engvall, 2017), hospitals (Gómez-Acebo et al, 2011;Vafaeenasab, Morowatisharifabad, Taghi Ghaneian, Hajhosseini, & Ehrampoush, 2014), and school buildings (Norbäck, Hashim, Hashim, & Ali, 2017;Salin et al, 2017;Takaoka, Suzuki, & Norbäck, 2015;Zhang, Li, Zhang, Zhao, & Norbäck, 2014). Office is defined as "a room or part of a building in which people work, especially sitting at tables with computers and phones, as a part of an organisation or as a part of a government department" (Office, 2018).…”