Respirable dust exposure impact on respiratory symptoms among cleaners in a public university at Selangor

The cleaners perform a vital role in environmental health by keeping the place clean, but cleaners are also exposed to a variety of hazards. This study aims to determine the respirable dust exposure on respiratory symptoms among cleaners in a public university at Selangor. 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 a air sampling pump Gillian & Sensodyne Gil Air 3. The mean of respirable dust was significant from 0.63 ± 0.57 mg/m³ with p-value was < 0.001 and T-value was 7.86. The respiratory symptom shown insignificant different for cough, phlegm, wheezing, breathlessness, and cough with phlegm symptoms among the cleaners against working tenure at 4(30.8%), X² is 0.52 for cough and 3(27.3%), X² is 0.49 for phlegm. Meanwhile for wheezing 1(33.3%), X² is 1.00 for breathlessness 5(45.5%), X² is 0.74 and for cough with phlegm 1(50.0%), X² is 1.00 respectively. The association between respirable dust exposure and respiratory symptoms also show insignificant different but PR is more than 1. This study showed cleaners can expose to respirable dust and it has the potential to expose to the respirable symptoms because of the PR is more than 1 although it not significant.