Respirable dust exposure impact on respiratory symptoms among cleaners in a Selangor Public University, Malaysia

INTRODUCTION: Cleaners perform a vital role in environmental health by keeping the place clean, but they are also exposed to various hazards. Yet, there is a lack of effective and accessible occupational safety standard measures, thus making this to be difficult to monitor the long-term health effects of cleaners. This study aims to determine the respirable dust exposure on respiratory symptoms among cleaners in a public university in Selangor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 51 cleaners. The respondents' background information and respiratory symptoms were gathered using a series of standardised questionnaires validated by the American Thoracic Society (ATS-DLD-78-A). The 8- hour respirable dust exposure to cleaners was measured using an air sampling pump (Gillian & Sensodyne Gil Air 3).

RESULTS: The mean of respirable dust was lower than permissible exposure limit with 0.63±0.57mg/m3. The respiratory symptoms among the cleaners showed no significant association between cough, phlegm, and breathing difficulties with working tenure. Meanwhile, wheezing and coughing with phlegm have an almost significant association with working tenure among cleaners with (Χ2=1.00, p=0.08) and (Χ2=1.00, p=0.07) respectively. Exposure to respirable dust has exhibited 6 times the prevalence of coughing with phlegm among cleaners (PR=6.28, 95% CI: 0.44, 89.38).

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrated that the cleaners were significantly affected by the respirable dust. The cleaners' working environment has caused them to be exposed to respirable dust.