Interaction of indoor air contaminants and respiratory health among children in the daycare centers

Apart from homes, daycare centers (DCCs) serve as essential indoor environments for children. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between IAQ and respiratory health implications in children and to identify patterns in IAQ using chemometric analysis. A total of 100 children aged 4 to 6 from 5 urban DCCs in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, were included in the study. The selected IAQ variables comprised temperature, humidity, air velocity, particulate matter, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, airborne bacteria, and fungi. Reported respiratory health symptoms were collected along with sociodemographic and exposure history. There was a significant difference in the median concentration of PM 10 , PM 2.5 , temperature, and relative humidity ( p = 0.035; p = 0.008; p