Air Conditioning and Your Health

AIR conditioning has proved to be a boon to those who must live and work in hot and humid climates. It has been a large factor in the development of the “Sun Belt” of the United States. Without it, not many would choose to live for weeks on end where daily summer temperatures range from 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or even hotter.

But, like many blessings of technology, air conditioning is not without its drawbacks. The ease of fingertip control of the temperature has led many to overuse it. “If cool is good, cooler is better,” has been their thinking. But medical researchers are now beginning to recognize hazards to health in the immoderate use of air conditioning.

Many persons with various ailments do not need to be told that excessive air conditioning hurts them. People with arthritis find their joints more painful. Those with neuritis have the pain aggravated. A person with sinus trouble comes out with his head congested. One with chronic middle-ear infection risks an acute flare-up of his illness.

In addition to the immediate trauma to those so afflicted, there are more subtle damages to the well-being of the healthy. These are of such a nature that the cause may not even be suspected. But when persons who work in air-conditioned quarters are compared with others, they are found to be more susceptible to all kinds of minor ailments.

Morton Walker says in his book Total Health: “Thermal stress affects the body when it becomes overheated or chilled. An example is sitting in a draft or walking into an air conditioned store from a broiling hot street on a summer day. The body responds, but when forced to do so too often, it shows symptoms of illness.”

Studies in New York city showed that people do not get acclimated to summer temperatures the way they did before air conditioning was used. The result is that severe heat waves now take a higher death toll. The trend is to build apartments and office buildings shut off from outside air. This trend risks suffering and death from heat if an extended power shortage occurs.

Experts who are concerned about the long-term effects of air conditioning suggest we ought not to rely entirely on refrigeration for cooling. The designing of buildings to take advantage of natural ventilation, more use of fans only to move the air, and evaporative cooling are some of the alternatives.

For those whose specific ailments are aggravated by air conditioning, the obvious remedy is to avoid it as much as possible. But of those in good health, not many will consider an obscure or future threat to their health a sufficient reason to forgo the immediate comfort of air conditioning. Nevertheless, prudence would tell us to at least be moderate in our dependence on it.

In public buildings you may be at the mercy of custodians who make it their goal to create a polar environment. All you can do is finish your business and get out. But where you work, and in your own home, you can do something about it. Perhaps an enlightening discussion with fellow workers will lead to a consensus to avoid overcooling. And at home, remember that your air conditioner is not to make you cold, just comfortable. Set the thermostat at 78 degrees, or higher if you wish. You will find this a healthier climate in which to live.