COMPARISON OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN NAIL SALONS SERVED BY CENTRAL AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM AND SPLIT AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEM

Abstract

Nail products used at nail salons may include toxic chemicals in high concentrations, which can have a negative impact on a person's health if they are exposed to them. High levels of toxic chemicals in the air could result in poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in the salon. Having the right type of air-conditioning system could help with the ventilation and dispersion of the contaminated air. Thus, this study focuses on the comparison of indoor air quality in nail salons served by a central air-conditioning system and a split air-conditioning system.

A field study was conducted in two salons, Agnes.G Nails which adopts a centralised air-conditioning system and Dawn Star Nail Salon which uses a split air-conditioning system. Spot measurements were used to acquire objective data, and the following parameters were assessed: temperature, humidity, air velocity, formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs). One sampling point was established in each nail salon and readings were taken at different levels of occupancy – 0%, 25% and 50%. The collected data were then compared with SS554:2016 +A1:2021 to see if the recommended limits for IAQ were met by the nail salons.

The results showed that the nail salon served by the centralised air-conditioning system had better IAQ than that of the nail salon served by the split air-conditioning system. However, despite that, the nail salon with centralised air-conditioning only met the requirements by SS554:2016 +A1:2021 for four out of seven of the tested parameters.

The data gathered indicated that the IAQ levels in both nail salons were subpar, so recommendations to improve the IAQ of nail salons were made.