Indoor Air Quality Investigation in Manufacturing and Storing Areas inside a Food Industry

This study was done to investigate the air quality in manufacturing and storing areas inside a food industry. Four locations were chosen within the premises of the food industry which are raw material house, processing area, warehouse and packing department. The parameters including temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, total volatile organic compound, particulate matter 10 and 2.5 micron and total bacterial counts were measured in the locations. Measurements were carried out for eight hours per day for days chosen in six months. The results were compared with a standard called Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010 by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Malaysia. The results showed that all parameters measured in four locations were all complied with the standard except for temperature in raw material house, processing area and warehouse, which was 34.85 C, 35.60 C and 34.45 C respectively, air velocity in processing area and warehouse which was 0.14 m s-1 and 0.65 m s-1 respectively, particulate matter 10 and 2.5 micron in packing department, which the former recorded 2389.3 g m-3 and the latter recorded 182.3 g m-3. Possible sources were identified in the exceptional cases. This investigation indicates an average performance of the indoor air in manufacturing and storing areas inside the respective food industry.