Title:
The Effect of Indoor Air Pollution on Kenanga College Student Health
Abstract
The
indoor air quality influences human body’s comfort and health seriously, and
polluted indoor air will not only affect human’s health, but also decrease
people’s work efficiency, therefore, the causes, effects and solutions is the
focus on this research. This paper
introduces the current main pollutant and their hazard of indoor air in Kenanga
College as examples, and studies their indoor air pollution condition and
reason by detecting and analyzing their pollutant contents. At the same time,
some effective measures of precaution and control on indoor air pollution in
Kenanga College are recommendation in the end of this paper.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
Air pollution
is the introduction of particulates,
biological molecules, or other harmful
materials into Earth's atmosphere,
causing disease, death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as food
crops, or the natural
or built environment.
Air pollution may come from anthropogenic
or natural sources. Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as
two of the world's worst toxic pollution problems. It is a substance in the air
that can have adverse effects on humans and the ecosystem. The substance can be
solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. (source=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution)
‘Indoor air’ is air within a building such as your
home, classroom, office, shopping center, hospital or gym. ‘Indoor Air Pollution’
occurs if indoor air is
contaminated by smoke, chemicals, smells or particles. Unlike
outdoor air pollution, the effect of indoor air pollution is health related and
less of an environmental issue. In colder regions, building and heating methods
make use of airtight spaces, less ventilation and energy efficient heating.
Sometimes synthetic building materials, smells from household care and
furnishing chemicals can all be trapped indoors. As less fresh air gets
indoors, the concentration of pollutants such as pollen, tobacco smoke, mold,
pesticides, radon, asbestos and carbon monoxide trapped inside the building
increases and people breathe that in. (source=http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/air-pollution/what-is-indoor-air-pollution.html)
Although air contamination occurs both outdoor and
indoor, many students think that the air inside the building is not polluted.
In fact, students themselves are the source of pollution. The smokers and
motorist pollute the air in the building.
1.2 Statement of the problem
It is
important to find how indoor air pollution affects Kenanga College students’
health. We need to know who are seriously affected by among student especially
the smoking student or others. Other than that, we want to investigate to what
extend what are the students of affected, to identify the sources that are
exposed to and how to minimize air pollution.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The purpose of the study is to find the effect of indoor
air pollution on Kenanga College student health.
1.4 Objective of the study
The objectives for doing the research are :
·
to investigate the
effected indoor air pollution to Kenanga College student
·
to identify the
sources of the indoor air pollution that Kenanga College student are exposes to
·
to find ways to
minimize indoor air pollution to health guaranteed
·
to identify the
way to achieve optimal health
·
to identify the
ways to prevent indoor air pollution on health
1.5 Research
question
We use the main question to the respondent for them to
answer several questions for data collecting and do the analysis. The example
of research questions are:
i.
How indoor air
pollution affect the Kenanga College lives especially their health?
ii.
Who among them are
seriously affected?
iii.
What can be done
to minimize or solve the problem?
iv.
What are the main
causes of indoor air pollution in Kenanga College building?
1.6 Significance
of the study
This research shows that nowadays many people
including student died very young, probably due to air pollution. Students will
be not able to attend college when they are not feeling well. They are affected
when this air pollution is not tolerated. It is important to find how air
pollution affects all Kenanga College students especially the student smokers.
This is to make sure that the Kenanga College is a smoke free area. We want to
Kenanga College to be cigarette smoke free area. Besides smoking related pollution,
it is also important to investigate indoor air pollution occurring in the
building. This is because polluted environment can cause student very stressful
and unhealthy. (Source: http://drclaudiamiller.com/tag/toxicant-induced-loss-of-tolerance/)
Air
pollution has serious impact on human health. As for people who are staying in
the city, the tendency of them now getting sick is very high. Students are not
very healthy and get sick very easily. One of the reason could be are they
exposed to air pollution. When this happened, their performance of the study
will be affected. (Source:Beelen R, Hoek
G, Fischer P, van den Brandt PA, BrunekreefB)
1.7 Scope
of the study
We conducted a case study about “Air Pollution on
Health” in Kenanga College. We collected data form 37 students in class
ULAB2112 Section 37. We used questionnaire method. There are four categories of
sample question:
i.
Open ended
question
ii.
Closed ended question
iii.
Scale question
iv.
Listing choice
question
1.8 Methodology
We had carried out the survey using few types of
instrument for data collection. Below are the types of methods that we had been
used.
1) Questionnaires
-
Our primary source
was from the questionnaires prepared by our group members. 37 sets of observations
questionnaires had been distributed to our selected students.
2) Library Research
-
We have also used
library research to define the terms that are used and to determine the correct
format and ways of writing a report.
3) Internet research
-
We are taking the
information from 3 article for our references
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
We
get the oxygen we need by breathing air. It’s such a natural thing that we don’t
usually stop to think about what’s in the air we breathe. But besides oxygen
and other elements like nitrogen, air also contains pollutants, which can be
harmful. Air pollution is a problem that affects life all over the world. We
usually think about air pollution as affecting the air outside. But there can
be indoor pollution, too. Think about how much time we spend indoors. During
all of that time, we are breathing in the air around us.
2.2 Review of Literature
Weiss (2013) examined air pollution levels that are even considered to be,
'everyday,' have the potential to affect a person's behavior and health. Indoor
air pollution is a real issue in developed nations where efficient insulation
keeps pollutants inside of structures. In nations that are less-developed, the
lack of indoor sanitation and running water may encourage respiratory
infections. Air pollution also has the potential to harm populations of people
in ways that are so slow or subtle they have yet to be detected. Due to this,
research is underway to assess the long-term effects of chronic exposure to low
levels of air pollutants including what the majority of people experience, how
air pollutants interact with each other in a person's body, as well as with
physical factors such as stress, nutrition, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and
common medications. Also under investigation is the relation between air
pollutants and birth defects, cancer, and genetic mutations.
Nurul
Ashikin et al. (2014) examined air pollution can harm
human health, the environment, and cause property damage. Various researches have
proven the connection of air quality and human health. The epidemiology and
laboratory studies demonstrated that ambient air pollutants (for example PM,
O3, S02 and NO2) contributed to various respiratory problems including
bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. The objective of this paper is to discuss the
relationship between the human health and air quality. The conceptual paper is
focusing in findings from air quality literature review and significant health
effects related to it.
Bull
(2003) examined indoor
air pollution is ubiquitous, and takes many forms, ranging from smoke emitted
from solid fuel combustion, especially in households in developing countries,
to complex mixtures of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds present in
modern buildings. This paper reviews sources of, and health risks associated
with, various indoor chemical pollutants, from a historical and global
perspective. Health effects are presented for individual compounds or pollutant
mixtures based on real-world exposure situations. Health risks from indoor air
pollution are likely to be greatest in cities in developing countries,
especially where risks associated with solid fuel combustion coincide with risk
associated with modern buildings. Everyday exposure to multiple chemicals, most
of which are present indoors, may contribute to increasing prevalence of
asthma, autism, childhood cancer, medically unexplained symptoms, and perhaps
other illnesses. Given that tobacco consumption and synthetic chemical usage
will not be declining at least in the near future, concerns about indoor air
pollution may be expected to remain.
3.0 Findings and Discussion
From the survey, we get data from the students to
get information about indoor air pollution in Kenanga College. We were using a questionnaire
method to find all the answer for our groups’ research. Total of 37 students
were chosen to answer the question. The students can choose more than one
answer from certain of the question.
3.1 Causes of Indoor Air Pollution
Figure
1: Causes of Indoor Air Pollution
Figure
1 shows the causes of air pollution. The two major causes of the air pollution
are cigarettes smoke and motor vehicles. 18 male students and 14 female
students have chosen cigarettes smoke while 15 male students and 8 female
students were chosen motor vehicles. The third cause is population growth. The
data took from the male and female students are same number which is 6 students
choose it. The household cooking and heating and increasing use of air
conditioner also shows that the same answer from male and female students. The
last causes of air pollution with 2 male and 4 female students choose the waste
disposal for their respond.
All
the causes can harm the health of students, damage crops or stop them growing
properly and make the life unpleasant and unattractive in a variety of other
ways. Firstly, the main causes which is from cigarettes smoke and motor
vehicles coming from the burning end of cigarettes and from the motorcycle can
affect the environment. These causes can make students get unhealthy easily. The
potential for harm from any of these pollutants depends partly in student’s
sensitivity. The students compromised with immune systems tend to be more
susceptible. Some students have chosen the population growth, household cooking
and heating and increasing use of air conditioner similarity because they think
the causes not give a big impact to their health. The least effect is waste
disposal which the area are polluted such as washroom and dustbin area.
According
to John A Hoskins
(2012) the indoor
micro-environment has its own pollutants and pollution levels indoors may be
higher than those outdoors. This is particularly so when there are combustion
processes associated with cooking heating or smoking coupled with poor
ventilation. About half the world’s population have to rely for cooking and
associated space heating on simple household stoves using unprocessed solid
fuels that have high emission factors, with the consequence that they are
exposed to high levels of health-damaging air pollutants. Cooking can produce
very high concentrations of particles and biomass fuels emit hundreds of
chemicals during small-scale combustion, such as in household cooking or
heating stoves. Tobacco smoke may add to other biomass smoke and all these
together cause considerable human ill health world-wide. Most indoor air
pollutants directly affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and the
severity of the effect varies according to both the intensity and the duration
of exposure, and also the health status of the population exposed. The
importance of this is that some members of the population may be at greater
risk than others. A number of the chemicals found in the indoor environment are
classed as carcinogens although at the levels found the probability that they
will cause cancer is extremely low.
3.2 Effects of Indoor Air Pollution
Figure 2: Effects of
Indoor Air Pollution
Figure
2 shows the proportion of male and female students in the effects of indoor air
pollution. According to the effects of breathlessness/having more difficulty in
breathing, spend more money to stay healthy, feel depressed, wanting to move to
other less polluted place, asthma incidence and poor visibility. There are
differences in the selection of the effect of indoor air pollution by both male
and female students of Kenanga Collage. The biggest differences between two
genders were in the selection of breathlessness and wanting to move to other
less polluted place. In the selection of breathlessness female students, made
up to 8 respondents. In the contrary, the figure of male students who selected
breathlessness was just 5 respondents. However, the trend was reverse when it
comes to the effect of wanting to move to other less polluted place. Here,
female students chose wanting to the moves to other less polluted place with 3 respondents,
whereas male students put more value on wanting to moves to other less polluted
places with 6 respondents. For the others feature, spend more money to stay
healthy and asthma incident are similarity with a 5 male and 4 female
respondent. The next is feeling depressed and the minor effect of indoor air
pollution is poor visibility.
From
the data collected, too many students choose breathlessness/having more
difficulty in breathing because male students normally use the free time to
smoking. Even if you are not a smoker, second-hand smoke can cause many of the
same health problems as directly inhaling from cigarettes. This will make
others student fell depressed for the smoke their smell. According to Dr. Mercola (2015) men who smoke have a 25 percent increased
risk of any fracture and a 40 percent increased risk of hip fracture. Smoking
leads to a 79 percent increase in chronic back pain and a 114 percent increase
in disabling lower back pain. Smokers are 59 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer's
disease. Smoking increases your risk of age-related macular
degeneration by 78 percent to 358 percent, and increases your risk of age-related
cataracts.
Poor
indoor air quality poses several negative consequences to health. Poor
ventilation causing excessive humidity and accumulation of gaseous and/or
chemical exposure from materials in the living space. Students spend the
majority of their time indoors, where they face significant health risks due to
repeated exposure to air pollutants in their college. Exposure to these
pollutants can lead to numerous immediate and long-term health problems. Common
pollutants include irrespirable particles, chemical emissions, mould spores,
animal allergens, radon, combustion gases, environmental tobacco smoke and
pesticides. Others than that, some students spend more money to stay
healthy. They took vitamins and more water for themselves to protect their health.
3.3 Solutions for Indoor Air Pollution
Figure 3: Solution of
Indoor Air Pollution
Based
on figure 3, the results clearly show that most of the students who took part
in the survey preferred not to smoke in building and area of Kenanga College.
The figure is 30% compared to 24% students were chosen get more fresh air. The
third solution factor is turn off appliances and light when leave the classes.
The different between bring the outdoors in and turn off appliances and light
is 4%. The least solution of air pollution factors is connecting your outdoor
light to a timer or use solar lighting with 10%.
As
the figure we get from the survey, a plenty of students don’t like their
friends smoke in college. As we concern, the smoke from the smoking students
can be harmful to health. This can lead to diseases such as respiratory
irritation, emphysema, lung cancer and heart disease. Secondly, students choose
to get more fresh air. Because of the location of college which is located in
the middle of the city, there are a lot of pollution came from outside. For
example from the construction building, chemical waste, smoke vehicles and
others which can cause pollution. The highest ranked three through turn off
appliances and light when leave the class because students always want to go
back earlier, sometime they forgot to switch off the light, air conditioner,
and etc. This will make the electricity waste. The last solution of the survey
is using a timer or solar lighting to solve the problem but the faculty have
think about the cost of using solar and timer.
According
to Pawel Wargocki (2015) solutions required for achieving good indoor air quality
in highly energy-efficient buildings and reducing the health risks are evaluation
of new advanced ventilation strategies based on health and comfort criteria, identification
of the barriers that block innovation in the building process towards the goal
of good indoor environmental quality, ways of encouraging the active
involvement of building occupants in the creation of healthy and comfortable
indoor air quality (affecting occupants’ operational habits and activities), flexibility
of building design to account for and respond to variables influencing indoor
air quality and comparison of natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation,
ventilation on demand any and other ventilation solutions in the context of
highly energy-efficient buildings, taking into account the purpose and
circumstances of their use. . Development and implementation of harmonised
methodology for measurements and health-based evaluation of chemical emissions
from building materials and consumer products, and comprehensive performance
classes of products including the evaluation of the impact of the labelling of
building materials and consumer products in the context of healthy, comfort and
highly energy-efficient buildings.
4.0 Conclusion
This research investigated the effects of air pollution on
Kenanga College students. Data were collected by distributing questionnaires to
37 students. As mentioned earlier in the introduction, the purpose of this
study was to find the effect of air pollution
on Kenanga College student health.
The following conclusions can be drawn from the study.
To begin with, cigarettes smoke is the biggest causes
of air pollution compared to others causes. In addition, motor vehicles is the
most popular to do with. The results of this study indicate that air pollution can have a negative impact on humans and the
environment. This can affect human health and life to all surrounding.
However, these findings are only for Kenanga College students
and cannot be generalized to other college students. The same study needs to be
conducted with students from other colleges to see if there are any
similarities with the factors that will influence students’ about air
pollution.
4.0 Recommendation
Base on the finding and the conclusion of the study, here are
the several recommendation to be considered :
1) Making more
“Free Smoke Campaign” and “Awareness Campaign about Environment Care”.
-
College students
should bring awareness to address this problem. One of the factors that can be
done is through awareness campaigns about environmental care. Important awareness campaign to remind
students about the importance of addressing environmental pollution. Students
will be more aware of the impact that would arise if they do not keep the
environmental clean such as cigarette smoke, waste disposal, motor vehicles and
others.
-
To prevent indoor
air pollution, each student has to play a role in keeping awake to health. They
can perform activities such as planting trees around the college, exercise;
keep the surroundings areas clean and so on. Clean environment areas will
maximize contamination and get students healthy life. It is the responsibility
of every student to protect the environment, creating a quality ecological
environment and sharing wonderful green living together.
2)
Relocated
the building to the suitable place
- Because of the location of the college located in the middle of the city, there are many possible causes of pollution. The college has to figuring out how to build the faculty in a better place where the environment is preserved environment. A healthy environment will provide many benefits to students where students can study in peace and focus on the lessons to be learned.
3)
Reduces
the size of class
- Class condition with many students will cause discomfort to students. Each faculty should limit the total number of students in one class. This is to enable students to feel comfortable and enjoyed lessons in the classroom.
