Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 7-30-21

Health
One of the worst colds you can have is during the summer. Why? Because it’s the time when most of us are out, enjoying the weather, traveling with family, etc. But, the main tool that is used to cool you off, air condi- tioning, could be making you sick. Here’s a few illnesses that it may cause:
As with colds and other res- piratory ailments contracted in the wintertime, cold air itself is not the culprit — viruses are.
Still, researchers at Cardiff University in Wales say it’s pos- sible air-conditioners may con- tribute in some small way to respiratory infection. They ex- tract moisture from the air,
which can dry out the protective mucus that lines the nostrils, al- lowing viruses a better chance to become established in the nose.
Ever wonder why colds seem to never go away at work? There have been multiple studies in- cluding one done in 2004, 2008 and 2012 that compared adult women and found that those who worked in offices with cen- tral air-conditioning had higher rates of absence due to sickness and more visits to ear, nose and throat doctors than those with- out it.
Occupants of office buildings with air conditioning (AC) sys- tems (e.g. central ventilation with cooling of air) consistently
report, on average, more symp- toms in their buildings than do occupants of buildings with nat- ural ventilation. This has been the finding in individual studies from over the last 20 years. The symptoms in these studies have included mucous membrane irri- tation, breathing difficulties, irri- tated skin, and constitutional/neurological symptoms such as headache and fatigue. This set of non-specific symptoms, often referred to as building-related symptoms or sick building syndrome, has not been linked to specific known diseases.
Furthermore, surfaces in AC systems that remain constantly moist, such as the cooling coils and drip pans, are supportive en- vironments for the growth of un- desirable micro-organisms, are directly in the path of all air sup- plied to occupants to breathe, and are often not well-main- tained. Multiple associations were found, including increased wheeze, shortness of breath, and cough in relation to an index of moisture in the ventilation sys- tem.
The bacterium Legionella pneumophila is responsible for most cases of Legionnaires’ dis- ease, the severe form of pneumo- nia — lung inflammation usually caused by infection. Outdoors, legionella bacteria survive in soil and water, but rarely cause infec- tions. Indoors, though, legionella bacteria can multiply in all kinds of water systems — hot tubs, air conditioners and mist sprayers in grocery store produce depart- ments.
Although it’s possible to con-
tract Legionnaires’ disease from home plumbing systems, most outbreaks have occurred in large buildings. Most people become infected when they inhale micro- scopic water droplets containing legionella bacteria. This might be the spray from a shower, faucet or whirlpool, or water dispersed through the ventilation system in a large building.
SO what does this mean?
1. Be sure to get your air con- ditioner checked in-between sea- sons
2. Check controls as well as venting regularly
COMMON COLDS IN OFFICE BUILDINGS
LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE
RESPIRATORY INFECTION
FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 9-B