The effect of air conditioners on humans: harm, benefits and their danger

Many people who have just installed an air conditioner and tried to enjoy the coolness, after a couple of days, felt ailment in the form of watery eyes, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain and even inflammation of the meninges. These are not invented stories - with improper operation of climatic equipment, you can get bacterial meningitis.

The benefits and harms of an air conditioner

It is much easier to breathe in an air-conditioned room than outside. Although there is much more oxygen outside. The first secret is dry air, from which oxygen is more easily absorbed by the respiratory system. Cold air is denser, which means that the oxygen concentration in it increases. But at the same time, the concentration of harmful gases also increases.

Harm of climatic technology:

• The illusion of ventilation. According to advertisements from manufacturers, air conditioners keep indoor air clean and fresh. The consumer has a false sense of the flow of air from the street. This is not true. Only very expensive models are equipped with the function of adding fresh air. Their installation is somewhat different from usual.
• Air conditioners dry the air. Their effect on the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes and throat is very negative. Local immunity decreases, the risk of inflammatory processes increases. Aging of the skin is accelerated.
• Headache. When the air conditioner is operating, the vents and doors to the room are closed. The same air is chased in a circle along with carbon dioxide, microbes and fumes. Lack of oxygen can cause headaches. In some people, the nervous system reacts in this way to the noise of an air conditioner.
• Colds. Cold air currents directed at a person provoke colds and hypothermia.

The benefit of air conditioners is the comfort that consumers get in the unbearable heat. Other beneficial properties:

• A quick and economical way to warm up a room in the off-season.
• If the air conditioner is equipped with a function of adding fresh air, a sufficient amount of oxygen enters the room.
• Air conditioners equipped with high-quality filters purify the air from dust, pollen, fungal spores, bacteria, and unpleasant odors.
• Ionization, provided in expensive models, improves well-being, increases the tone of the body, and reduces the amount of dust in the air.

The harm and benefits of air conditioners balance each other. Knowing how dangerous the air conditioner is, you can learn how to properly operate it.

Smart use of the air conditioner

To reduce the risk and prevent the possible consequences of hypothermia, you need to turn on the device at higher temperatures for the first time so that the drop is minimal. If it is +30 degrees outside, the room should be at least 25.

If in the office the workplace is located directly under the indoor unit, you need to require the installation of a protective screen. It removes cold air and directs it towards the ceiling. Further, the replacement of cold streams with warm ones occurs, because the heat is higher, and the cold air tends downward. Thus, a more uniform cooling occurs, which is not so dramatic.

A feature of a budget air conditioner is the cooling and purification of the same air, so you should sometimes open the windows to ventilate the room in order to avoid oversaturation of the body with carbon dioxide. You can ventilate the room before turning on the split system.

For disinfection, special solutions are used that clean the internal filters from bacteria and fungal spores. The removable filter should be washed once a month using normal detergents.

So that the effect of cold air is not so obvious, you should wear clothes made from natural fabrics - they absorb moisture better and protect against drafts created by the equipment.

Diseases provoked by the climatic device

It is not recommended for people with weak immune systems to stay under the indoor unit. There is a danger of getting the following diseases:

1. Inflammation of the lymph nodes. You can determine your problem by probing the axillary, submandibular, inguinal and popliteal regions. If you feel pain and swelling, then the infection in the body has begun to actively multiply. Further, the temperature may rise. It is urgent to take action and ask for a place away from the air conditioner.
2. Pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs). Frequent changes in temperature are stressful for the body. A good immune system copes with this problem, but a weak body starts to hurt. The danger of pneumonia is that it can be asymptomatic and fatal. Symptoms are similar to those of a cold, but the temperature can rise to 40 degrees for a short period of time. The only effective remedy is antibiotics and bed rest. People who have removed adenoids and tonsils get sick faster, since they do not have natural defenses, and the inflammatory process penetrates deeper - into the bronchi and lungs.
3. Allergy. Air conditioner can provoke allergic reactions in people who are prone to them. This most often happens if you do not clean the filters for a long time, on which dirt and dust particles accumulate.
4. Dry eye syndrome. It can be exacerbated by intensive operation of the air conditioner near a person who does not produce enough tear fluid. Discomfort appears - pain in the gas, redness of the eyelids, pain when blinking. It is useless to use eye drops and at the same time be under a working air conditioner. It is necessary to change the place and move away from the air currents evaporating the tear film in the eyes. If air conditioning is complicated by working with a computer, this is a double burden on the organs of vision. You need to use drops constantly.
5. ARVI is a viral infection. It often manifests itself with reduced immunity. If a person is forced to move from a cool room to the street, where the temperature is 10 degrees higher, sooner or later the body will not stand it. Symptoms of an acute viral infection: runny nose, fever, bone pain, weakness, headache.
6. Inflammation of the sciatic nerve, which is responsible for the lower extremities. With hypothermia, pain appears in the lower back, legs and buttocks. Most often it hurts on both sides, but more intense on the side where the inflammatory process is stronger. If a person sits sideways to a working air conditioner for a long time, then a complete limb failure is possible - severe pain when trying to stand on a sore leg.

The air conditioner has a particularly negative effect on weakened elderly people and children, whose immunity is in the process of formation. Sudden changes in temperature disrupt the usual rhythm of the body.