It is possible, but highly unlikely, that you can get sick from air conditioning. What can cause infections is the mould that spreads in your AC filters, but that can be prevented.
For different types of germs, mould included, to survive, they need a dark and damp place, just like outdated, dirty air con filters that haven’t been replaced for a while.
The technology behind air conditioning has evolved, and water is no longer used for cooling down the system. When there is no water and moisture, the germs, bacteria and fungi don’t have anywhere to hide and multiply.
This is why it’s wiser to choose a split system air conditioner that doesn’t use water for cooling and to replace your filters every two months.
Find a reliable air conditioner installer who can help you with choosing your air con installation. The same installer can help you with the maintenance and change your filters regularly.
People have different ideas about how you get sick from air conditioning. Here are the answers to those questions that can shed some light on the matter.
No. You cannot catch a cold from air conditioning. A virus causes the common cold. This means that your air conditioner cannot cause it.
However, it can contribute to the factors that allow you to control this viral infection. The easiest way to catch a virus is to be in a confined space with many people. That is just the description of a room where your air con is working, and all the doors and windows are shut.
Additionally, the flu and the cold viruses don’t like hot temperatures. That’s why your body is raising its temperature to fight infections. Your AC does the opposite – it removes all the heat. This creates a better environment for the viruses to survive.
Moderately. A virus causes your cold, and your air conditioner hasn’t driven it. However, air conditioning systems dry the air in the room. This means that the protective mucus in your nose and throat is all dried out. This enables the viruses to contact your skin and spread the infection.
Air conditioning can make your coughing worse for the same reason. It doesn’t have to cause it, but it helps it. Dry throat itches, and the skin breaks more quickly, allowing the viruses to enter your bloodstream more easily.
Therefore, your air conditioning will not contribute to the biological reasons to worsen your cold, but it helps the mechanics of it. With all that in mind – yes, you can use AC when you have a cold, but don’t lower the temperatures too much.
Air conditioning can affect your throat indirectly. The air dryness it causes affects the membrane of your throat, making it dry and susceptible to cracking and irritation. However, it doesn’t cause viral and bacterial infections of the throat, although it helps them.
To understand whether your air conditioning causes sore throat, you must rule out bacterial infections. Learn the difference between a strep infection and a viral infection, for starters:
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Unfortunately, yes. Your air conditioning can cause sinus issues, but air conditioning is not the direct cause of sinus infections. Again, problems with your sinuses happen because of the cool temperatures that dry out them and make them cold.
When this happens, your sinuses react by creating more mucus to replace the moisture that has dried out. Since the air con continues to create dry air, this process is repeated, causing the hyperproduction of the mucus in your sinuses.
This means runny nose, congestion, pressure in your sinuses and other well-known and annoying sinus irritation symptoms. Still, all these need to be looked at separately from viral and bacterial infections of the sinuses.
Yes. Your air conditioning can give you migraines and headaches in two ways:
When your air conditioning cools down the room temperature, your body also cools down. Your trigeminal nerve gets stimulated “shrinks” your blood vessels.
This is an otherwise normal reaction to cold because its primary purpose is to stop the blood from going to peripheral parts of your body so your core is warmed up enough.
In this situation, this means that blood vessels travelling to your brain contrive, and that causes a little “brain freeze”, which turns into a headache.
The second reason is dehydration – dehydration is not the state you want to be in. Your entire system reacts to the lack of water. One of the dehydration symptoms is headache, but there are others:
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Highly unlikely. The bacteria legionella causes Legionnaires disease. This type of bacteria is present in airborne water droplets that get in touch with a person and cause severe cases of pneumonia.
The idea about air cons causing this infection is because the old, now outdated, air conditioning systems for large buildings have cooling towers and ducts.
Even then, the infections were rarely found with the employees who worked inside those buildings. The most affected were those who lived in the surroundings of such air-conditioning exhaust systems.
So, can you get pneumonia from air conditioning? It is highly unlikely, especially if you use a home split system and your unit is maintained regularly.
No. Your air conditioner cannot cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a gas that is produced as a byproduct of burning. Since nothing is burning in your air con – at least there shouldn’t be – there’s nothing to be afraid of.
No. You cannot be allergic to air conditioning since there is nothing to be allergic to in cool air. However, your air conditioner system can help spread the allergens into your home if your filters are not regularly cleaned and maintained. These can include:
Directly, your air conditioner system doesn’t make you sick. However, it can create unfavourable conditions for your health by making you more susceptible to allergies and infections. These dangers are easily removed if you regularly replace the air conditioner filters.
Find a good and reasonably-priced air conditioner maintenance technician who will replace your filters for you at least once every two months. In that way, your health will be intact. Service Seeking can offer you quotes from experts nearby. Go and ask for quotes before hiring an air conditioning expert.
