The concentration of particulate matters in mechanically ventilated school classroom during haze episode in Kuala Lumpur City Centre

• Published in: Air quality, atmosphere and health atmosphere and health, 2024-06, Vol.17 (6), p.1205-1221
• Main Authors: Alias, Azwani, Nadzir, Mohd Shahrul Mohd, Latif, Mohd Talib, Khan, Md Firoz, Hamid, Haris Hafizal Abd, Sahani, Mazrura, Wahab, Muhammad Ikram A., Othman, Murnira, Mohamed, Faizal, Mohamad, Noorlin, Amil, Norhaniza, Kolapo, Otuyo Muhsin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air pollution effects; Air quality; Air sampling; Airborne particulates; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cadmium; Carcinogens; Children; Chromium; City centres; Classrooms; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Health; Filter paper; Haze; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Health risks; Indoor air; Indoor air pollution; Indoor air quality; Indoor environments; Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; Inhalation; Lead; Lungs; Manganese; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Mechanical ventilation; Metal concentrations; Outdoor air quality; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Respiration; Respiratory function; Risk assessment; School environment; Spirometry; Trace elements; Trace metals
• ISSN: 1873-9318; 1873-9326
• DOI: 10.1007/s11869-021-01132-5

Good indoor air quality (IAQ) is essential to ensure students’ and teachers’ improved performance and productivity. This study aimed to investigate particulate matter (PM) concentration with different sizes in a classroom during haze episode and to evaluate the health effect of air pollution during haze to the school student in Malaysia. The particulate matter concentration with aerodynamic diameter size less than 10 µm (PM 10 ) was collected for 8 h using a low volume air sampler (LVS) equipped with quartz filter paper. The trace metals element (Pb, Cd, Co, Ni, Cr, Mn, As and Cu) in PM 10 was analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Simultaneously, PM concentration in real time at differences sizes (PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PM 1 ) was also collected using Grimm aerosol spectrometer with 1-min interval. A questionnaire survey on school children’s health condition and the lung function test using spirometry were also performed. The results show that there was no significant difference in PM 10 concentration during haze (95 ± 25 μg m −3 ). The dominant trace metal concentrations in PM 10 were Mn and Cr both during haze. The mean concentrations of continuous monitoring of PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PM 1 during haze event were 85 ± 14 μg m −3 , 68 ± 16 μg m −3 and 61 ± 16 μg m −3 . The mean forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and the mean forced vital capacity (FVC) value during haze were 97.7% and 91.8%. The health risk assessment of school children on trace metals in PM 10 via inhalation was higher than the acceptable value with a total hazard quotient (HQ) more than 1.0 for both hazes. For carcinogenic elements, the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) was higher than the acceptable limit for haze event with a value of 3.4XE-05. This study found that the impact of haze pollution on indoor PM 10 concentration was relatively low; however, there was still a high exposure of school children to the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic elements during haze event.