By assessing two university cafeterias, the study showed that both sites had elevated temperature and PM10 levels, while one also showed high carbon dioxide and the other high total bacterial counts. Both cafeterias were classified as medium risk, requiring temporary measures and planned interventions.
Indoor air quality has become an important concern in educational facilities because cafeterias are no longer used only for dining; they also serve as spaces for social interaction, study, and daily campus life. Previous research has shown that cooking activities, cleaning agents, high occupancy, poor ventilation, and outdoor pollutants can increase particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, and thermal discomfort indoors. Prolonged exposure to such pollutants may contribute to respiratory symptoms, headaches, reduced cognitive function, and “Sick Building Syndrome.” However, many cafeteria environments still lack integrated assessments that connect measured air quality, perceived symptoms, risk scoring, and health risk evaluation.
A study (DOI: 10.48130/newcontam-0026-0009) published in New Contaminants on 30 March 2026 by Chia Chay Tay’s team, Universiti Teknologi MARA, reports that two university cafeterias exceeded acceptable limits for key air quality parameters and presented medium-level risk, with cafeteria B showing a higher potential for non-carcinogenic health effects.
The study was conducted in cafeterias A and B, with areas of 426.29 m² and 168.15 m², respectively. Researchers first obtained ethics approval and then selected five sampling points in each cafeteria according to Malaysia’s Industry Code of Practice for Indoor Air Quality 2010. They carried out a walkthrough inspection, monitored physical and chemical parameters for eight hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and collected biological samples using agar plates and an air sampler. Temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, total volatile organic compounds, ozone, formaldehyde, PM10, total bacterial counts, and total fungal counts were measured. The team also distributed questionnaires to cafeteria occupants, receiving 63 responses from cafeteria A and 60 from cafeteria B, to compare measured conditions with perceived environmental problems and symptoms. The results showed that both cafeterias had temperatures above the ICOP IAQ 2010 acceptable limit of 26 °C, suggesting thermal comfort problems likely related to high occupancy and insufficient mechanical ventilation. PM10 concentrations in both cafeterias also exceeded the acceptable limit of 0.15 mg/m³, likely due to cooking, human movement, dust carried by shoes and clothing, and indoor accumulation. In cafeteria A, carbon dioxide exceeded the 1,000 ppm limit during the lunch-hour sampling cycle, reflecting high occupancy in a confined space. In cafeteria B, total bacterial counts reached 1,466 cfu/m³ at one sampling point, exceeding the 500 cfu/m³ limit. Questionnaire responses supported these measurements: cafeteria A occupants mainly reported stuffy air, varying temperatures, high temperatures, dizziness, cough, and a heavy-headed feeling, while cafeteria B occupants reported dust and dirt, unpleasant odors, varying temperatures, difficulty concentrating, headache, and drowsiness. Risk assessment classified both cafeterias as medium risk, with a score of 9. Health risk assessment further showed that cafeteria B had a higher non-carcinogenic hazard quotient for PM10 exposure than cafeteria A, indicating a greater potential for non-cancer adverse health effects.
Overall, the study shows that university cafeterias can contain overlooked indoor environmental risks even when many pollutants remain within acceptable limits. Elevated temperature, PM10, carbon dioxide, and bacterial counts can combine with high occupancy and inadequate ventilation to affect comfort, health, and performance. The authors suggest that improving air-conditioning systems, increasing fresh air intake, closing doors to reduce cross-contamination, strengthening housekeeping, using floor mats, and maintaining appropriate temperature and humidity could help reduce exposure.
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References
DOI
10.48130/newcontam-0026-0009
Original Source URL
https://doi.org/10.48130/newcontam-0026-0009
Funding Information
The authors did not receive any support from any organization for the submitted work.
About New Contaminants
New Contaminants is a multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on emerging contaminants. It is dedicated to serving as an innovative, efficient and professional platform for researchers in the field of new contaminants research around the world to deliver findings from this rapidly expanding field of science.