Indoor air quality and sick building syndrome among garment manufacturing workers in Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Abstract

Introduction: Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is an illness that occurs among occupants that linked to time spent in a building. The causes of SBS can be various but it has a significant relation to the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) of the building itself. This study aimed to investigate the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) among garment manufacturing workers. Methods: The IAQ Parameters (air velocity, temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, PM10, and PM2.5) were measured using specified in- struments. The SBS symptoms were assessed by a questionnaire adopted from the Industry Code of Practice (ICOP) of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) 2010 among 173 employees from the production section Results: Temperature, PM10, and formaldehyde concentration levels exceeded the threshold values of ICOP IAQ 2010. The prevalence of SBS was high (82.1%). There was a significant association between relative humidity and scalp’s itchiness (χ2 = 5.601, p=0.018) while formaldehyde level with skin’s itchiness (χ2 = 4.425, p=0.039), scalp’s itchiness χ2 = 4.668, p=0.031), and eye irritation (χ2=9.663, p=0.002). Age, gender, smoking status, and years of employment were predictors for few symptoms of SBS such as fatigue, dizziness, stuffy nose, and eye irritation (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed a significant association between poor IAQ of certain parameters and SBS symptoms. Regular maintenance of ventilation and control measures are important for maintaining good indoor air quality to avoid further health problems to the occupants.