Air Conditioners And Your Health | What You Need To Know
- 08/08/2019
- Author : Ben Holzworth
Is Air Conditioning Bad For Your Health?
Growing up in Brisbane during the 1980s, I remember summer life in Queensland being a whole lot different. I mean in every street there was a posse of kids playing outside. Whether it was kicking the footy, riding our BMXs or simply hanging out, rarely were we spending our days indoors. At least in my neighbourhood, anyway.
Growing up in Brisbane during the 1980s, I remember summer life in Queensland being a whole lot different. I mean in every street there was a posse of kids playing outside. Whether it was kicking the footy, riding our BMXs or simply hanging out, rarely were we spending our days indoors. At least in my neighbourhood, anyway.
It was a familiar sound to hear a parent urging kids out of the house. “Get outside, get some fresh air and play.”
Summers were hot and we’d spend our weekends searching for new watering holes and creeks to swim in. I’m positive none of them was places I would even consider letting my own kids swim at, looking back. Or even go visit a mate that had a pool. Either way, when I look back on things, there weren’t many families that actually had air conditioning in their homes. If there was, it was a ‘window rattler’ that pretty much was only to cool the master bedroom.
Apart from being a huge luxury item back then, air conditioning had a stigma to it as being somewhat unhealthy. Like breathing that air conditioner air all the time increased the chances of sickness and was bad for you.
True Or False?
Contrary to past beliefs, air conditioners are now showing some great benefits to one’s health. It’s not hard to imagine when you think about some of the more polluted parts of the Globe, such as parts of Asia and the USA.
In recent studies, figures show that systems such as central air conditioning units bring less far air pollution inside the home. By closing the window and running the air conditioning, you would actually reduce your in-home air pollution. Of course, we’re lucky enough to be living in beautiful Brisbane, and we don’t suffer the same level of air pollution. Even so, a well-maintained home air conditioner can still be filtering out air impurities.
For example, I myself am Asthmatic, I would be much less affected by air conditioning than say being outside during a dry dusty day, or at a time where there are high amounts of pollen in the air.
The Catch
If your A/C unit is not receiving regular maintenance, an air conditioner can actually work against your health. So it’s important to keep this a/c units up to date with servicing. If you don’t, then here are a few things you might want to look out for.
Mould
As the warm air in your home cools, moisture is created. Unless you have a way to get that moisture out of the room, the moisture will find a place to settle. Central air conditioners get rid of the moisture through an exhaust vent. So there is very minimal risk of this occurring. But portable air conditioners and window-mounted air conditioners have no ‘reliable’ ventilation system.
While there may be a ventilation attachment for various units, however, if they are not installed correctly, or not working properly, it can be an issue. Other units have a moisture collection pan, and if the pan isn’t emptied regularly, this is a prime breeding ground for mould.
If the mould works it’s way into a portable air conditioner, this can have huge health risks attached. Tiny mould spores can then be circulated through the air in your home and in turn enter your lungs.
If you have central air conditioning, you are not exempt. It’s so important to have your air ducts professionally cleaned every few years. Mould can sit in your ducts and feed on the organic matter found in dust. So it’s really worth keeping a close eye on.
Humidity
We all love to arrive home to a beautifully cooled home. Air conditioning in your home works to remove the moisture from the air in order to cool it. This is one of the perks of A/C. For the most part, this makes Brisbane’s hot humid summers so much more enjoyable.
But for some, having such low humidity in the home can irritate nasal passages and raises the risk of sinus congestion and also inflammation. If this is you, don’t worry. There is a simple remedy and very effective. Get yourself a humidifier from almost any department store. That will go a long way to sorting that issue out for you
What About Temperature Fluctuation From Air Conditioning?
Can temperature fluctuation really make us sick? Such as moving from hot outdoor Queensland summer to a blissfully cool air-conditioned house. The rapid change from hot to cold and cold to hot is commonly believed to cause sickness like colds and flews. But how true is it?
When the outside weather changes rapidly, a lot of us would agree that it can make you feel ‘under the weather’. However, in reality, this up and down the temperature can not ‘make’ you sick. To become sick, one would have to be directly exposed to a sickness forming bacteria or other viruses.
However, it has been proven to bring your immune system down and weaken your body’s defences, which makes you at greater risk of being unable to fight off germs that you come in to contact with.
There are certainly rational reasons for the perception that illness comes from temperature fluctuation in an air-conditioned home. Such the previously covered point of the lack of humidity in a home where air conditioning has been installed. Lack of humidity can inflame and irritate sinuses. So moving from hot air to cold air environments can also make your nose run and constrict the airways. This can give the impression of the onset of a cold or flu.
The Exceptions
Overall, stepping in and out of a hot outdoor environment, into a crispy cool air-conditioned home has a very low potential of causing illness or health risks. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. Certain health conditions should be taken into consideration, such as those with Diabetes. Big temperature changes, in this case, could pose issues so get some professional guidance from your GP if this is you.
But as a suggestion, try to minimize the difference in temperature contrast between the hot outdoors and the cooler indoor environment. This will make it easier on their bodies to adapt to a little easier.
The Office | Mind Over Matter
If you have ever worked in an office building or a big office where there are a lot of people sharing the same space, you’ll be familiar with the perils of the dreaded ‘office infection. Often, when one person in the office gets sick, it can easily spread through the office, seemingly taking out the entire workforce one by one.
Over the years, the office air conditioning has been blamed for spreading nasty viruses. This is, however, untrue. The fact is that they most probably would have contracted each other’s sicknesses from airborne germs from a cough or a sneeze. Perhaps using someone else’s coffee cup, touching a colleague’s mouse or keyboard, using the same phone as someone who is contagious, simply saying hello in a confined area and any number of other ways.
Well maintained air conditioners pose a minimal health risk.
However, when we experience a runny nose or irritated sinuses from moving from hot to cold environments, we immediately think, “uh oh, this dang air conditioning is making me sick.” Once you believe you are getting sick, you will be sick. Once you become a carrier of the virus, you will spread it, not the air conditioning.
B & Q Electrical’s Air Conditioning Installation and Servicing
If you have any questions about getting an air conditioner installation, or cleaning and servicing your current a/c, please get in touch with us for a free quote.
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