Several students living in Raffles Institution (RI) dorms recently reported being sick due to pungent paint fumes emitted from their newly repainted room doors.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
RI Boarding has since halted the repainting works and is monitoring the health of the residents in the dorms.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, three female students from Eunoia Junior College living in the RI dorms noted that they did not receive any notice about the repainting works taking place in March.
They were also reportedly not warned about the wet paint by management.
One of the students only found out about the repainted doors when she returned to the RI dorms. Her door was wide open, and the paint also stained her hands.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
However, the male students did get notified about the situation, and managed to buy products to reduce the stench of the paint fumes.
Even so, four male students shared that they felt unwell upon inhaling the paint fumes. They experienced discomfort and developed dry coughs, sore throats, blocked ears and watery eyes. They also experienced dizziness at times.
One student noted that he was even diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection in early April.
Besides being extremely intense, the paint fumes also made it difficult for students to sleep and rest well, resulting in greater discomfort.
A student also shared that his room door was being repainted while he was in his room. They did not ask him to leave the area even while the paint was drying.
Furthermore, on 4 Apr, one student shared that despite the room doors having been repainted over a week ago, the paint fumes remained pungent and apparent.
MS News has reached out to RI for more information.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, Nippon Paint’s Crystalux was used to repaint the doors.
Muhammed Dinie, one of Nippon Paint’s representatives, noted that the paint requires at least 18 hours to dry. Fresh air also needs to be introduced to remove the smell of the paint.
Meanwhile, The Straits Times (ST) reports that Nippon Paint senior adviser Lynn Lee said Crystalux paint might be unsuitable for use in RI Boarding’s poor ventilation conditions. She suggested using water-based paints instead, which emit much less odour.
An RI representative also informed Lianhe Zaobao that they would put the painting works on hold for now. They will also provide air purifiers for any students who may need them.
More importantly, they will continue to monitor the health and safety of the students in the dormitories.
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Featured image adapted from Raffles Institution Boarding on Facebook and Lianhe Zaobao.
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