Health

AC benefits include reducing mold growth

Emergency notices and public service announcements during heat waves often advise people without air conditioning at home to spend several hours a day in shopping centres, libraries and other air-conditioned public spaces.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, heat-related illness caused more deaths in the United States from 1979-1999 than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. In 2001, 300 deaths were caused by excessive heat exposure. Air conditioning is considered the primary preventive measure in reducing deaths due to extreme heat, especially among seniors and infants.

Besides keeping you cool, air conditioning also reduces humidity in your home, thereby reducing the growth of mold and mildew, which is a serious health hazard. However, if your unit is oversized for the space it is trying to cool, it will reduce the temperature and then turn off before the appropriate level of humidity has been removed from the room. An improperly installed or oversized air conditioner will actually encourage the growth of mold, and an air conditioning system that is contaminated will become a breeding ground and distribute the pollutants throughout the home.

On the flip side of the positive personal health benefits of air conditioning, there are broader environmental health concerns.