Mohd Faizal Bin Mohd Kassim,		 						 	,	, <br/><br/>
Effects of benzene exposure on respiratory health among ammunition technicians in military bases / 
Mohd Faizal Bin Mohd Kassim 
 - x, 104 pages :  illustrations ; 
<br/><br/> Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology 
<br/><br/>Final Year Report (Bachelor Degree Of Occupational Safety And Health) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah - 2025 
<br/><br/>Include bibliographical reference 
<br/><br/> Ammunition Technicians (ATs) in military settings are routinely exposed to hazardous substances such as benzene due to their involvement in ammunition handling, packaging and storage activities. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of benzene exposure on respiratory health using a comparative cross-sectional study design involving 48 respondents, equally divided into exposed and non-exposed groups. Area monitoring using a VOC meter recorded real-time benzene concentrations for the exposed group ranging from 0.25 to 3.79 ppm, with a mean TWA of 0.46 ppm slightly below the Malaysian PEL (0.5 ppm) but exceeding the 2024 ACGIH TWA limit (0.02 ppm). In contrast, the non-exposed group recorded lower values, ranging from 0.10 to 0.32 ppm, with a mean of 0.15 ppm. Personal sampling using charcoal tubes (NIOSH Method 1501) showed benzene was not detected in all samples (<0.00001 mg). Respiratory health was assessed through spirometry and the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Lung pattern classification indicated that 83.3% of the exposed and 91.7% of the non-exposed had normal patterns, while mild and moderate impairments were observed only among the exposed. A significant association was found between lung pattern and spirometry severity based on the Chi-Square test (p = 0.004). Independent samples t-tests showed no statistically significant differences between exposed and non-exposed groups across all SGRQ domains, although the exposed group reported higher mean scores for Symptoms (25.27), Activity (23.84) and Total Score (20.29). Frequent symptoms among the exposed included coughing (58.8%), phlegm (50.0%), breathlessness (66.7%) and wheezing (50.0%). These findings suggest possible early-stage respiratory impacts among exposed ATs despite low personal exposure levels, underscoring the need for continuous respiratory health surveillance in high-risk occupational groups. Keywords: Benzene exposure, Respiratory health, Ammunition Technicians (ATs), Spirometry, SGRQ, Comparative cross-sectional study 
<br/><br/><label>ISBN: </label>THE0010959 (Local) 
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