Indoor environmental parameters are related to house typology in the South of Vietnam

Abstract

Abstract Background: Several indoor pollutants such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter under 2.5μm (PM2.5) and endotoxin in house dust contribute to increasing the risk of chronic respiratory diseases. The types of dwellings and housing ventilation can affect indoor pollutant concentrations. Methods: Our study was carried out on 100 houses to define indoor air (IA) characteristics of 5 typical house types (apartment, rental, rural, slum and tube houses) in Ho Chi Minh City. Results: The measured mean concentrations reached respectively 2.37ppm for carbon monoxide, 485.10ppm (441.60-520.50) for carbon dioxide, 23.20µg/m3 for PM2.5, 70.40ppb for VOC, 300C for temperature, 60.5% for relative humidity, 107.80EU/mg for living room endotoxin, 124.50EU/mg for bedroom endotoxin and 149.10EU/mg for kitchen endotoxin. Most parameters were differently distributed among the five studied house types (p<0.05, ANOVA one-way), except for PM2.5, VOC, and relative humidity. Conclusion: Two house types (rental house and slum house) presented higher levels of most parameters, while the rural house presented higher PM2.5 and endotoxin levels than all the other house types. The apartment showed lower concentrations of all parameters than the other house types. In a later phase, the IA characteristics will be confronted with the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases.