BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?

Subject: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: Liz S
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 02:38 PM

Hi

I have just had air conditioning installed at work and I am scared that I am now more likely to catch all the cold and flu germs that are in the air. Am I being unrealistic ? Does anybody have any health tips to cut down the risks ?

Liz

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: gnu
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 02:45 PM

Quit.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: pdq
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 02:52 PM

Live in Australia for six months, then move to the US and live here for six months. As long as you never have a summer you will never need air conditioning.

We won't talk about the amazing assortment of germs you will breathe during the near-endless airplane flights going back and forth...

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: jeffp
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 03:16 PM

The best thing you can do to avoid catching colds, flu, etc. is frequent handwashing. Also sanitize your telephone mouthpiece, especially if others use it. These 2 actions will reduce your exposure significantly.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: number 6
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 03:25 PM

Do as gnu suggested quit .... and most certainly stay away from any malls, supemarkets, public buildings etc.

seriously ... do as jeffp suggested, live with it or just drop out from modern day society.

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: gnu
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 04:10 PM

sIx said, ..."drop out from modern day society." Difficult, but it can be done.

Seriously, I would like to see legislation for health standards for air quality and temperature in the work place. I worked in an air tight office building and kept a thermometer on my desk. The average ambient temp in this part of the world in December thru March is about -10C with relative humidity about 20%. When my office reached 27C (usually at about 13:00h) I documented it, submitted it, and left for the day. I am talking about days in Jan and Feb when the outdoor temp was -20C!!!! Screw the building owners and the make-a-nickel engineers.

And, I was VERY unpopular with my boss a number of times. A meeting would be called and one of the attendees would be one of those macho assholes who thought he was so important that the whole company would die if he missed a day... even though he had a nasty flu. I would refuse to attend and tell the boss that he was stunned for not sending the guy home.

These modern buildings.... piss poor. Ya gotta stand up to the bastards.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 05:05 PM

My first six months at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa was spent scratching, especially from the knees to the ankles. It was the dead of winter, with outside temperatures ranging from -10 to -30 Celsius, and the inside temp would peak at 30 most days, with the humidity so low my hair stood on end. I started work the week before Christmas and by New Year's Day my shins and ankles were covered with eczema that lingered until spring.

On the other hand, I have serious asthma that is considerably soothed by the air conditioning in summer, when our outside temperatures soar well above 30 with humidity bopping around 99.9 percent. I agree with jeffp: enjoy the air conditioning, and wash your hands frequently. Also acquire some of that waterless sanitizer, for surreptitious use after shaking hands with people (wait until their backs are turned).

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 05:53 PM

" These modern buildings.... piss poor. Ya gotta stand up to the bastards."

These bastards are a difficult bunch to stand up to gnu .... even if you have viable environmental groups behind you ...   .... unfortunately you dealing with costs, and these costs take from the bottom line, your dealig with big business .... but never give up, unless you 'drop out' and, and I'm beginning to think that's the only way to survive these days.

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: number 6
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 06:03 PM

Me again ... up there at 5:53.

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: Le Scaramouche
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 06:06 PM

The health concerns are more like catching a chill, not germs.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: gnu
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 06:14 PM

Well, "drop out" is not an option for some. It really comes down to the bottom line of the building owners and the insipid belief of the make-a-nickel engineers that those owners will run the systems properly.... ain't gonna happen... it has to be legislated... it has to become LAW.

sIx... I dropped out in 1996... but, for various reasons, I gotta drop back in, if I can, and it sucks.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: number 6
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 06:42 PM

HeHe gnu ... I've been droppin in and out all the time ... when it comes standard building/safety codes, the province of N.B. leaves a lot to be disired. It does have to be legislated, and it does have to become LAW. I've argued with the city here quite a bit on some these issues and they keep spinning, passing the buck onto the province and then you contact Lizzy Weir (you must know of her) and she passes the buck back to the city ... in the meantime the slum landlords (who are the repected peeple of society) sit back and get away with it.

Any good cabins for sale out your way in the deep dark woods?

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 09:42 PM

For those of us who aren't in Canada or the UK and don't know "C" from sea, here is a conversion chart.


SRS

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 10:04 PM

Oh, and by the way, be sure the filter is cleaned regularly.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: bobad
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 10:13 PM

Question: Which other countries, besides the U.S., do not use the metric system?

Answer: According to a survey taken many years ago, the only countries, besides the U.S., that have not officially adopted the metric system are Liberia (in western Africa) and Myanmar (also known as Burma, in Southeast Asia). These two countries did not have an official policy of converting to metric, at least at the time of the survey. Despite recent repeated inquiries to the governments of both Liberia and Myanmar, no response from either country has been received as to whether an official policy has been adopted since this survey was conducted. Their Web sites utilize both inch-pound and metric units. Visitors to these countries report some evidence of the use of the metric system. Most other countries have either used the metric system for many years, or have adopted the metric system within the last 30 or 40 years. There has been some controversy about how to define whether a country is metric. Metrication is a process that does not happen all at once, but is rather a process that happens over time. Although nearly every country has taken steps to replace traditional measurements, the fact remains that among countries with non-metric usage the U.S. is the only significant holdout.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 Oct 05 - 11:03 AM

Don't worry about it, Liz S. My family and friends have been living and working in air-conditioned buildings for years, and nobody gets sick much. When they do, it was probably because a sick person coughed or sneezed near them.

The world is full of people who want to increase their own importance by making others afraid. Don't let them do it.

Most "flu" is actually food poisoning from dirty kitchens, old leftovers, etc.

If you are truly concerned, do some reading about healthful habits. Wash your hands the right way, use tissues, don't borrow other people's pencils.....etc etc

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: number 6
Date: 20 Oct 05 - 11:07 AM

" Most "flu" is actually food poisoning from dirty kitchens, old leftovers, etc."

.. very good point leenia.

Air conditioning vents in poor shape/setup/clean result more in toxic mould issues.

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: darkriver
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 02:16 AM

Liz,

It's unlikely that you can catch a cold or the flu from an air-conditioning system.

That said, there may be problems with any air-conditioner, depending on the size, age, and construction of the building, and on the laxness or strictness of health-regulation enforcement in your community.

sIx mentioned mold. Legionnaire's Disease stems from air conditioning system water that may collect. So for health tips here, make sure the AC is strictly inspected and kept up to code.

As other people have mentioned, the best you can do to take care of yourself when you're around people is
--keep your hands to yourself
--keep your hands away from your mouth or nose
--don't handle your lunch until you've washed your hands thoroughly
--in fact, wash your hands often
--sanitize any commonly-shared items (phone, keyboards, etc.) before using
--drink plenty of water

I do all the above. I've worked in a public office for years, and haven't had a cold in over a year nor the flu in over 5 years.

One more thing: don't fret.

Doug

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: Shanghaiceltic
Date: 22 Oct 05 - 05:03 PM

We have air con in three room in our house here in China and we do need it during the summer, very hot and humid. Has not caused us any problems as we always have ot set at a reasonable differential between the outside temp.

In winter on the warm cycle it is crap at heating rooms so we just wear extra layers and use stoarge heaters overnight to keep the edge off the lower temperatures. Chinese built house south of the Yangste have no cavity wall insulation, even new ones.

There is a risk when running in and out od air conditioned stores and hotels of getting a chill. Sweaty outside and cool inside.

We clean the filters every few months, never been a problem. Use a soapy solution with a drop of discinfectant.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: Scoville
Date: 22 Oct 05 - 06:27 PM

I'm in Houston and we live in air-conditioning almost year-round. I'm not kidding. I haven't had any particular problems with getting sick. I think I've had three minor colds and one low-grade flu in the past five years, and that was working in a high-traffic, high-germ area (vet clinic where virtually all the employees were women with young children in day-care, which is notorious for spreading germs).

I agree, though, I'd worry about the hand-washing before I'd worry about the air-conditioning. If you're not having problems yet, I wouldn't worry too much.

Subject: RE: BS: air conditioning.. health tips ?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 23 Oct 05 - 08:47 AM

When someone says "we just got air conditioning" it must be assumed that they're talking about a cooling system. In all probability, in any fairly large building, they all ready had "air conditioning" in the form of some sort of heating system with air distribution and exchange.

That the air can now be cooler than outside, instead of just warmer than outside, should have very little effect on exposure to illness.

A critical factor in whether disease will be spread by the system is whether or not an adequate exchange of air is provided by the air circulation - whether it's hot air or cold air. Any properly designed system should deliberately provide for bringing in "fresh" outside air. If the same air is just recirculated, eventually the crud builds up and is distributed to everyone.

Most (US) office systems make provisions for sufficient air exchange. Even without specific provisions, normal traffic during shift changes usually provides at least some "leakage." This provision is not universally provided in home air systems, with the result that many homes (in the US, and probably elsewhere) are found to have a build up of Radon gas, which does have some potential health consequences.

Cooling systems generally cool the air to a fairly low temperature, typically just above the freezing point for water (40F or 4C is typical). There usually is a significant condensation of moisture from the air during this cooling. The air warms back up almost immediately as it travels through the distribution system, and as it warms back up to the intended room temperature the relative humidity can drop rather dramatically.

Some people may be bothered by the comparatively low relative humidity typical in cooled air conditioned areas, and may suffer from dry nasal passages, congestion, and other symptoms that mimic the symptoms of colds or flu but that are not infections. There is some opinion that persons thus affected may be slightly more likely to pick up an infectious illness when an exposure occurs; but it's a divided opinion.

A similarly low relative humidity can occur when cold outside air is brought in and heated.

Over a longer term, when the ductwork has time to accumulate a bit of crud, it is possible for infectious organisms to breed and to be distributed to the occupants in the area. Despite well known horror stories this is fairly rare, and can be prevented with a suitable system maintenance plan - provided that somebody remembers to make sure the plan is followed.

An air cooling system should not present a significantly different "infection potential" than the air heating system that probably was already in place. You may need to make some personal adaptation to the fact that the person most annoyed by it will always find his/her desk directly under the cold air vent, while the one who suffers most from the heat will always draw the desk in the corner where no air at all ever goes, but... that's life in the office.

John