INDOOR CONCENTRATION AND PERSONAL EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE MATTER IN VIETNAM: A COUNTRY REPORT

Abstract

 The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately 4 million premature deaths in 2016 were attributable to household air pollution in low to middle income countries. Vietnam is experiencing serious particulate matter (PM) pollution in ambient air and indoor environments, resulting in significant adverse health impacts. This article reviews and studies sources of PM in the indoor environment, personal exposure to PM during commuting (outdoor activities) and cooking (indoor activities), and the impacts of PM exposure on public health regarding disease and deaths. This article also studies current indoor pollution status and its mitigation in Vietnam. The results show that indoor PM concentrations exceed acceptable WHO recommended values in some cases. The indoor PM comes from indoor human activities, and outdoor particles transported through filtration airflow. Traffic activities have a great influence on indoor PM concentration and personal concentration. The types of transportation modes, fuels, and cooking methods make significant impacts on personal exposure, resulting in increased respiratory diseases and death in Vietnam. Despite the deterioration of indoor air quality, the concern from society still is ignored. Although there are mitigation efforts focusing on controlling indoor and outdoor particle pollutants, they remain insufficient in Vietnam. There is a lack of technical regulations and standards on indoor air quality, and there are minimal environmental protections, particularly for indoor air quality.