Abstract:
Objective To investigate the current status of formaldehyde pollution in the air of hotels in China and its correlation with respiratory symptoms of hotel employees.
Methods According to the National Health Risk Factor Surveillance Program in Public Places, air samples from 10 472 hotels were collected to test from 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps from 2016 to 2021, and a questionnaire survey was performed for employees to collect the basic information and symptoms of respiratory discomforts. A total of 108 330 questionaires were collected. The chi-square test was used for comparison of rates, and the logistic regression analysis were used for correlation analysis.
Results From 2016 to 2021, the majority of hotel employees in China were female, with a male/female ratio of 1:5. The rate of self-reported respiratory symptoms among the employees was 16.26%(17 612/108 330)and there was a significant difference in the positive rate of self-reported respiratory symptoms among the employees with different demographic features (P < 0.001). From 2016 to 2021, the median concentration(P25, P75) of the formaldehyde in the air of hotels in China was 0.033 (0.020, 0.060)mg/m3. There was a significant difference in the unqualified rate of formaldehyde in the air of hotels among different years (χ2=193.68, P < 0.001). The multivariate logistic regression showed that female, college degree or above, working years ≥ 6, daily working hours ≥ 6, smoking, drinking, decoration, poor ventilation, and formaldehyde concentration above 0.10 mg/m3 were risk factors for respiratory health of hotel employees and the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were 1.30 (1.23, 1.37), 1.29 (1.18, 1.42), 1.17 (1.13, 1.22), 2.77 (1.71, 4.51), 1.20 (1.12, 1.29), 1.90 (1.81, 1.99), 1.15 (1.11, 1.19), 3.69 (3.54, 3.84), and 1.11 (1.04, 1.19), respectively.
Conclusion There was a positive correlation between formaldehyde pollution in the air of hotels and self-reported respiratory symptoms of employees. At the same time, attention should be paid to the impact of different demographic characteristics and behavioral factors on health.