Indoor and Outdoor Concentrations of Air Pollutants in Beauty Shops at Kwangju Area

The work of hairdressers includes washing, coloring, bleaching, permanent waving, conditioning, and cutting hair. Hairdressers are subjected to a number of physical and toxicological hazards. The toxicological hazards are those resulting from exposure to a wide range of chemicals and from chemicals are usually classified active processes. In this study, twenty beauty shops were selected to assess the exposure to indoor air pollutants such as VOCS and particulate matter($PM_{10}$) during one month from September 1 to September 30, 2003. Indoor air quality of beauty shops might be worse by vehicle emissions because the beauty shops were generally located near roadways. Personal exposures to VOCs and PM lo were related to indoor concentrations of beauty shops. According to the questionnaire, hairdressers complained of sore throat, eye irritation, and nervousness as physical symptoms. Conclusively, customers as well as workers in the beauty shops might be highly exposed to air pollutants from indoor sources and outdoor sources. Therefore, proper management methods should be taken to improve the indoor air quality in beauty shops.