Air Conditioning Sickness: Is Your AC Making You Ill?

On a hot day, air conditioning could help you stay sane, as well as prevent heat exhaustion. However, many people say that they feel their illnesses stem from air conditioning. Could this be true?

While dubbed air conditioning sickness, the real reason behind people feeling ill when using their air conditioning systems is the spread of bacteria and microorganisms. This can cause you to fall ill and is easily preventable.

Symptoms of Air Conditioning Sickness

Many people suffer similar issues when running their air conditioner constantly. This can be an issue if they are trying to stay cool and healthy. Here are some of the symptoms that may be associated with it.

Headaches and dizziness: This tends to happen frequently when workers are exposed to air conditioning day in and day out. It may be caused by lower humidity, which can cause dehydration. Drinking plenty of water is quite important, but you can also set up a humidifier in the home or office to help offset the issue.

Respiratory problems: Coughs, sneezes, and other types of respiratory issues may stem from viruses being passed through the air conditioning ducts, but it is also a sign that there may be mould in your home or office. Dust can also cause these problems and will be stirred up by the air conditioning ventilation.

Sore throat: Another common issue is a sore throat, due to the many microorganisms that are circulated in the air conditioning system. If there is mould and fungi in the vents, then you may feel quite ill after breathing in the air. This is surprisingly common, as most people don’t check their vents very frequently.

Overall, most health issues related to air conditioning are simply a matter of preventative maintenance, or the effect of the dry air.

How to Prevent Air Conditioning Illness

To prevent these problems, you need to frequently clean both the filters and the ventilation system for the AC. It’s important to inspect at least once a year to ensure there is no mould or fungi growing in the ventilation system and if there is, to remove it rapidly, before it can spread or become an issue.

Proper maintenance is usually all you need to keep everyone in the building healthy and this is something that many people forget. You can clean or change the filters yourself, but it’s usually best to have a professional manage the vents, as they have the proper equipment if mould is found.

Contact Ian Hobbes today to schedule your air conditioning maintenance.