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Composition of heavy metals and airborne fibers in the indoor environment of a building during renovation

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Abstract

The renovation of a building will certainly affect the quality of air in the vicinity of where associated activities were undertaken, this includes the quality of air inside the building. Indoor air pollutants such as particulate matter, heavy metals, and fine fibers are likely to be emitted during renovation work. This study was conducted to determine the concentration of heavy metals, asbestos and suspended particulates in the Biology Building, at the Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia (UKM). Renovation activities were carried out widely in the laboratories which were located in this building. A low-volume sampler was used to collect suspended particulate matter of a diameter size less than 10 μm (PM10) and an air sampling pump, fitted with a cellulose ester membrane filter, were used for asbestos sampling. Dust was collected using a small brush and scope. The concentration of heavy metals was determined through the use of inductively coupled plasma–mass spectroscopy and the fibers were counted through a phase contrast microscope. The concentrations of PM10 recorded in the building during renovation action (ranging from 166 to 542 μg m − 3) were higher than the value set by the Department of Safety and Health for respirable dust (150 μg m − 3). Additionally, they were higher than the value of PM10 recorded in indoor environments from other studies. The composition of heavy metals in PM10 and indoor dust were found to be dominated by Zn and results also showed that the concentration of heavy metals in indoor dust and PM10 in this study was higher than levels recorded in other similar studies. The asbestos concentration was 0.0038 ± 0.0011 fibers/cc. This was lower than the value set by the Malaysian Department of Occupational, Safety and Health (DOSH) regulations of 0.1 fibers/cc, but higher than the background value usually recorded in indoor environments. This study strongly suggests that renovation issues need to be considered seriously by relevant stakeholders within the university in order to ensure that the associated risks toward humans and indoor environment are eliminated, or where this is not feasible, minimized as far as possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Malaysia

    Mohd Talib Latif, Nor Hafizah Baharudin & Puvaneswary Velayutham

  2. Environmental Health Program, Faculty of Allied Health Science, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Normah Awang & Ruqyyah Mohamad

  3. Golden Business Excellences Sdn. Bhd., 45-3, Jalan PJU 5/9, Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara, 47810, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

    Harimah Hamdan

  4. Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mazlin B. Mokhtar

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  1. Mohd Talib Latif
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  2. Nor Hafizah Baharudin
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  3. Puvaneswary Velayutham
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Latif, M.T., Baharudin, N.H., Velayutham, P. et al. Composition of heavy metals and airborne fibers in the indoor environment of a building during renovation. Environ Monit Assess 181, 479–489 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1843-3

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