part of Environment and policy in Asia
In this second episode of our miniseries on “Air Pollution and the World of Work”, we speak with Chandath Him from Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment on efforts to address the impact of air pollution on the health of workers in Cambodia’s textile industry.
Jessica (0:34–1:05):
Hello everyone, and welcome to this episode of the podcast. My name is Jessica Slater. I’m a researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute, based at the University of York in the UK. I work in the Air Pollution and Climate Change Group, where we research various aspects of air pollution and climate change. I’m particularly interested in the impact of air pollution on health.
Jessica (1:06–1:51):
In this episode, we’re going to talk about a project we’ve been working on with the Ministry of Environment in Cambodia. We’ll discuss how air pollution affects industrial workers, and how different ministries can collaborate to address its impact on worker health—particularly in the garment industry, which is a major sector in Cambodia. Our guest today is Mr. Him Chandath from the Air Quality, Noise and Vibration Management Department. Welcome, Mr. Chandath, and thank you for being here.
Chandath (1:52–2:02):
Thank you for having me. I’m Him Chandath, Deputy Director at the Department of Air Quality, Noise and Vibration Management in Cambodia.
Jessica (2:03–2:12):
Can you start by telling us about your role and the responsibilities of your department?
Chandath (2:13–3:34):
Yes. Our department falls under the General Directorate of Environmental Protection in the Ministry of Environment. We develop policies, regulations, plans, legal documents, and guidelines related to air quality protection—both indoor and outdoor. We set emission standards for mobile and stationary sources and manage noise and vibration issues. We also monitor and evaluate air quality and pollution levels, and collect and manage related data.
Jessica (3:35–4:10):
Thank you. Air pollution is clearly a serious issue for health in Cambodia. What are the key sectors you focus on when trying to control air pollution?
Chandath (4:11–5:19):
According to Cambodia’s Clean Air Plan (2021), the main sources of air pollution and short-lived climate pollutants are the transport sector, followed by electricity generation, industrial processes, and the residential sector. PM2.5 and black carbon mostly come from residential sources and charcoal production, while nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide mainly come from transport. Sulfur dioxide is mostly emitted by electricity generation and industry.
Jessica (5:20–5:48):
There’s clearly a lot to address in improving air quality. Beyond your department, how much collaboration is there between ministries to deal with cross-cutting issues like air pollution’s impact on health and employment?
Chandath (5:49–6:59):
Collaboration between ministries is still limited, especially regarding the health and job-related impacts of air pollution. One major constraint is human resources—we lack personnel with the skills to analyze and assess health impacts from air pollution. There’s also no established methodology for this. However, there have been some good examples of inter-agency cooperation, especially in climate change mitigation efforts. We recently completed the Clean Air Plan, but applying scientific data in practice remains challenging due to these limitations.
Jessica (7:00–7:46):
Thank you. Now I want to ask about our joint project between SEI and your department. The project focused on occupational exposure to air pollution, especially among vulnerable groups such as women and ethnic minorities. In your part of the study, you looked at the garment industry. Can you tell us what you found?
Chandath (7:47–9:50):
Yes, this was a very interesting and new study for us. It was the first time we collaborated with SEI on the health impacts of air pollution among garment workers. We surveyed 16 factories. The air quality appeared to be acceptable, but 16 factories is a small sample—we have about 700 textile factories in Cambodia. Due to time and resource limitations, the study didn’t cover all aspects. Factories joined voluntarily, so it’s possible that underperforming factories didn’t participate. For future research, we want to include at least 50% of factories and apply random selection methods to better understand real exposure levels and health impacts.
Jessica (9:51–10:27):
Thank you. I agree that the sample size was limited, but given the short time frame, your team did an excellent job. During the study, you also asked employers about working conditions. What did you find?
Chandath (10:28–11:21):
According to our survey, employers provided good conditions because their products are sold in Europe, the US, and other developed markets. These buyers demand environmental and safety compliance. Also, many of these factories are members of the International Labour Organization. Again, the voluntary nature of the survey may have excluded factories with lower standards. We’ll need more resources and broader participation in the next round.
Jessica (11:22–12:01):
Yes, ensuring good working conditions for garment workers is essential—especially since the industry is such a major source of income in Cambodia. I think you touched on this already, but my final question is: What will your department do with the information gathered from this study? And what are your next steps in terms of understanding and addressing air pollution exposure?
Chandath (12:02–13:36):
The findings are very useful. They will support the Ministry of Environment’s policy and regulation development, especially concerning air quality and health protection for factory workers. One goal of the survey was to obtain real data—up until now, we had relied on desk-based information when developing the Clean Air Plan. This survey adds valuable field data that will strengthen our emissions database. We will share the findings with stakeholders including government agencies, NGOs, and international partners to inform future regulation and promote collaboration. We also hope to work with donors and stakeholders to expand the research, so we can better understand the situation and improve conditions for textile workers in Cambodia.
Jessica (13:37–14:34):
Thank you very much. I hope this work helps us understand more about emissions from industrial sectors—including air pollutants and greenhouse gases. It’s been great collaborating with you on this study and learning about the results and your plans moving forward. I hope the research has been useful, and that our listeners have gained insight into occupational air pollution exposure in Cambodia’s garment industry. These findings may also be relevant to similar industries in other countries.
Jessica (14:35–14:48):
And Mr. Chandath, thank you again for your time and for sharing your expertise with us.
Chandath:
Yes, thank you very much, Jessica.
Although Cambodia’s industrial sector is dominated by manufacturing and construction, the textile and garment sector is a key sector for jobs in both rural and urban areas.
Although the sector creates jobs and brings income, it also causes pollution that creates serious health impacts especially for the workers. In this episode of SEI Asia’s podcast miniseries on Air Pollution in the World of Work, we are joined by Chandath Him, Deputy Director on Air Quality in the Noise and Vibration Management Department of the Ministry of Environment in Cambodia. He explores how the different ministries and actors are collaborating to address the multidimensional problems of air pollution, and ensure that the textile industries comply with the relevant air pollution standards.
Chandath Him
Deputy Director on Air Quality
Below is an excerpt of the podcast conversation with Chandath Him for the second episode of the SEI Asia podcast miniseries “Air Pollution in the World of Work”. Chandath is one of our research partners in the “The impact of air pollution on the world of work for women and youth in East and Southeast Asia” project.
In the textile industry, the main sources of air pollution are from boilers that use fuelwood. The burning of wood releases pollutants including soot and particulate matter, nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide.
The Government of Cambodia is aware that air pollution is a multidimensional problem and is therefore seeking solutions through collaborations among different agencies and with efforts such as the 2021 Clean Air Plan.
SEI’s ongoing research in Cambodia is attempting to close the scientific gaps in the 2021 Clean Air Act because it was developed based on desk-based studies and lacks data from the field.
“A main constraint [we face] is the lack of human resources, in particular, the skill to analyze and assess the impact of air pollution on health of workers. We do not have specific methodology or tools,” Him said.
SEI’s study is obtaining air pollution data from 16 factories to better understand the level and quantity of air pollution emissions and the impacts on health of garment factory workers. In future, the research aims to expand across 600 factories in Cambodia.
“Our survey is based on [their] willing to join. The factories that are operating below the required pollution standards are not willing to join. So this is one of the challenges we face,” Him said.
SEI report / Policymakers should consider socio-economic and sociopolitical dimensions that mediate air pollution impacts, such as gender and how it intersects with factors.
SEI brief / Four case studies are part of a larger study examining air pollution and workers' occupational exposures in southeast Asia.
SEI brief / A new study on air pollution and garment workers in Cambodia aims to influence policy and interventions to protect their health, with benefits across the board.
