Air pollution and workers’ health in Cambodia’s garment sector

The document examines air pollution in 16 Cambodian garment factories, finding that while particulate matter levels generally complied with national standards and WHO guidelines on the day of assessment, wood-burning factories were the most polluting. It highlights a significant gap in worker awareness, as 99% of interviewed workers perceived air quality as satisfactory despite all reporting symptoms related to air pollution. The brief emphasizes the gendered nature of the sector, where a predominantly young female workforce faces specific health risks, and recommends strengthening national air quality standards to align with WHO guidelines and implementing gender-inclusive occupational safety policies.

• Air quality monitoring at 16 factories showed that indoor and outdoor particulate matter concentrations complied with WHO guideline levels on the day of assessment, although some factories exceeded reference values for the area.
• Factories using wood as a fuel source were the primary contributors to PM2.5, NOx, and NMVOC emissions, indicating that burning solid fuel produces significantly higher emissions than diesel or LPG.
• Direct fuel consumption at factories is the primary source of most air pollutants, whereas indirect emissions from power stations are the largest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
• There is a critical lack of understanding among workers regarding air quality; 99% of interviewed workers described workplace air quality as acceptable, often confusing the term with temperature, despite every worker experiencing at least one symptom related to air pollution.
• The garment sector is characterized by a stark gender imbalance, employing approximately 1 million workers, nearly 80% of whom are women, with a high concentration of young women migrating from rural areas.
• While all 16 interviewed factory owners reported taking actions to improve air quality, only 50% conducted air quality monitoring on a regular basis (annually or six-monthly).

APA

Chandath, H., Por, I. C., Raksmey, Y., & Archer, D. (2023). Air pollution and workers’ health in Cambodia’s garment sector. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/air-pollution-garment-workers-cambodia-sei2023.017.pdf

Chicago

Chandath, Him, Ing Chhay Por, Yim Raksmey, and Diane Archer. Air pollution and workers’ health in Cambodia’s garment sector. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2023. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/air-pollution-garment-workers-cambodia-sei2023.017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chandath |first1=Him |last2=Por |first2=Ing Chhay |last3=Raksmey |first3=Yim |last4=Archer |first4=Diane |title=Air pollution and workers’ health in Cambodia’s garment sector |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=March 2023 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/air-pollution-garment-workers-cambodia-sei2023.017.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chandath2023air, author = {Chandath, Him and Por, Ing Chhay and Raksmey, Yim and Archer, Diane}, title = {{Air pollution and workers’ health in Cambodia’s garment sector}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/air-pollution-garment-workers-cambodia-sei2023.017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }