The Impact of Summer Air Conditioning on Our Health: Unveiling Disturbing Vulnerabilities

Experts report that the onset of cold symptoms during the summer months may mean you have been exposed to air conditioning-related illnesses.

The phenomenon has been widely documented on TikTok and has been referred to by various names such as “Ayia Napa flu”, “Air Con cough” and “Magaluf flu”.

According to a 2004 study published in the journal Epidemiology, there is some scientific evidence supporting the so-called “airsickness”. Researchers have found that being in an air conditioner’s range, if it’s not well maintained or in a poorly ventilated building, can cause health problems.

Working or living in a poorly ventilated, air-conditioned building can increase the risk of “closed building syndrome” (or architectural disease syndrome or building disease syndrome), a term used to describe a condition in which a group of common symptoms occur in the same room. the number of people inside a particular building or part of a building, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

These symptoms may include headache, dry cough, dizziness, nausea, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and sensitivity to smells.

ABC Science has stated that when air conditioners are not properly maintained and cleaned, they are likely to be full of bacteria and mold. This may mean that air conditioners may be circulating polluted air.

HVAC units are designed to filter air pollutants, however, if the filters are not properly cleaned, they become the main breeding ground for air particles and microorganisms. This can lead to asthma, allergies, and other respiratory symptoms.

A spokesman for the California Department of Health told Verywell: “Dirty air conditioner filters can be contaminated with mold, fungus or other micro-organisms. This can cause some, especially if they are sensitive to mold, to have breathing problems.”

Last year, Dr. Nathan Spence posted a video on TikTok about why this phenomenon is happening.

In the video, he explained that there is a type of pneumonia that can be caused by air conditioning. And dirty air conditioners in hotel rooms can lead to a disease known as Legionnaires’ disease, which causes “an atypical chest infection requiring antibiotics.”

The disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by the bacteria Legionella pneumophila that can be spread by inhaling water droplets from things like an air conditioner or hot tub, according to the CDC.

Source: New York Bask