Risk of Air Conditioning
Risk of Air ConditioningRecently a family from Iowa travelled to Mexico and died due to gas asphyxiation from a faulty water heater that had rusted in the tropical humidity.
“There was a leak, and it was coming right from the laundry room,” Christopher Martínez of the Fiscalia General Office in Tulum told the paper through a translator. “The laundry room had no ventilation whatsoever.”
Read the full story of this tragic accident at People.com
It got me thinking, now that summer is just around the corner, are there risks due to air conditioning? Well, experts say yes it is possible.
If you do not regularly maintain your air conditioner (home, office or car), it can become contaminated. Dr. Mark Mendell, an epidemiologist with the California Department of Public Health has studies the health effects of AC systems while with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
“… worsening asthma problems and allergies are two health issues that can stem from contaminated AC units. He also mentions an ominous-sounding phenomenon: sick building syndrome.
He says sick building syndrome was associated with a range of seemingly unrelated symptoms: nasal congestion, breathing problems, headaches, fatigue and irritated skin. His own research has linked AC systems in office buildings to many of those same symptoms.”
On the same subject, Read and Digest Health reports that there are many dangerous effects of too much air conditioning.
“Since the invention of the air conditioner, people find it hard to get by without owning one, especially with the drastic heat that comes along with climate change. Surviving summer is almost impossible without the aid of air conditioning. However, if you rely on it for long periods of time, you must be prepared for the damaging effects it can cause. These effects could be anything from annoying to potentially risky. Keep an eye out for headaches, lethargy, dehydration, and allergies.Upper respiratory problems or even spread infections like Legionnaires’ disease may be due to air-conditioned spaces.”
They discuss 9 dangerous effects
So before you turn on your air conditioner for the summer, have it checked out by a HVAC professional. Don’t risk your family’s health by running your AC without have it routinely maintained.