Comparison between Air Quality and the Health Symptoms among Computer Office Workers of Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Bangkok
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Abstract
This cross-sectional study was to compare indoor air quality (IAQ) and the health symptoms among computer office workers at the Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University in Bangkok. Seventy-two workers were included in this study. A multi-stage random sampling method was used to divide the proportion of each faculty. Data were collected data using the questionnaire which consisted of the feel of the IAQ in the office and the health symptoms in the past month. Carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), air movement (AM), and total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured using a multi- RAE plus and velocicalc air velocity meter. The Descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze data. The results of the study revealed that the majority of workers (77.8%) sat and worked in the office, with most of them having a working period of fewer than 10 years. In the past month, the most common health issue among workers was back pain, affecting 54.2% of them. This was followed by eye irritation (47.2%), sneezing (52.8%), and headaches (51.4%). In terms of comparisons, it was found that workers experiencing eye irritation, nasal congestion, and headaches worked in areas with statistically significantly higher carbon dioxide concentrations compared to those without health symptoms (p = 0.002, 0.024, and 0.041, respectively). Additionally, workers with burning eyes worked in areas with statistically significantly higher wind speeds than those without symptoms (p = 0.024). In summary, the levels of carbon dioxide emissions and wind speed have an impact on the health effects of office computer users. Therefore, it is recommended to inspect the operation of air ventilation or consider additional installations, maintain the wind speed at a comfortable and acceptable range of 0.10-0.30 meters per second, and arrange workstations so that the direction of airflow does not directly affect the eyes of the workers.
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