49 Case Study: Effectiveness of health protection program in reducing PM2.5 exposure at the office building during haze period

Particulate matter (PM) exposure from wildfire smoke may increase the respiratory health risk to the population. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an administrative health protection program to reduce exposure to wildfire-generated PM2.5 in an office building. PM2.5 concentration during haze (generated by wildfire smoke) and non-haze periods were measured using direct reading DustTrakTM DRX 8533. Self-administered acute respiratory symptoms questionnaires from ATS-DLD-78 were collected. 168 occupant respondents worked consecutively in the office building during haze and non-haze periods. PM2.5 concentration and occupant’s subjective acute respiratory symptoms in the haze period were higher than in the non-haze period. During the haze period, PM2.5 concentration levels exceeded the WHO-recommended standard. In summary, PM2.5 in haze infiltrated the office work areas and exposed building occupants to wildfire smoke, which may affect the outcome of acute health symptoms. The administrative health program to protect workers from PM2.5 exposure at the office during the haze period was ineffective and needed to be improved, especially in reducing PM2.5 concentration.