As temperature rises every year in summer, the installation and use of air conditioners (AC) also increase. ACs definitely help us fight summers, but they indirectly affect our health by impacting the environment. 

This became evident when Monika, a graphic designer based in Mumbai, became severely sick due to spending almost 17 hours in AC. 

Telling you everything from the start, Monika, a 26-year-old woman, lived in Mumbai and worked as a Graphic Designer. Like most people, she hated summers and couldn’t sit without AC even for a minute. 

Monika spent 14 hours at home, 1 hour in commute, and 9 hours in the office. During peak summer months, Monika was always in an AC, at her home, in a cab commuting, and in the office. She was doing all fine until she had a cough for a week which later went away.

Soon, the next month she experienced breathlessness, fatigue, and cough for a week. She took normal medicines from a pharmacy store and didn’t notice what was causing it.

One morning, after an 8-hour sleep, Monika woke up with a sore throat and difficulty breathing. She couldn’t stand properly and felt extremely tired. She called her flatmate, who helped her reach the hospital.

“Thanks for bringing Monika to the hospital. I will examine her and let you know if we are good.” the doctor said to Monika’s flatmate. 

The doctor examined Monika, gave him some medicines to make her feel better, and talked to her about her symptoms. Monika told the doctor about how all of this started and how she was feeling.

Doctor asked Monika to undergo some tests immediately to see what was wrong. The test reports were out within an hour and reflected the root cause of Monika’s ill health.

“Monika, this is serious. Your lungs have caught an infection, so you cannot breathe properly. You also have nasal congestion and severe headaches that you mentioned.” the doctor told Monika.

Monika was shocked. She was paying attention to her diet. She couldn’t understand how all this suddenly happened, making her sick.

“Doctor, what went wrong? Do we know the cause behind all this?” Monika asked.

“Monika, all these symptoms and reports point out one common thing: you might be inhaling over-polluted air for a long time. Do you spend most hours outside?” the doctor said.

“No doctor, not at all. I spent most of my time indoors, at my home, or in my office. It’s too hot outside, and I can’t live without an AC.” Monika replied.

As soon as Monika said this sentence, the doctor knew what was wrong. Monika was in an AC more than she realized, which could be a problem sign.

“Monika, with all the details you have provided, it is possible that your health has degraded like anything due to staying long hours in a room with an AC.”

Monika was surprised at how AC could make her or anybody sick. She asked the doctor to tell her more about it. 

The doctor told Monika that AC demands high power, which takes up a lot of electricity. More power means more fossil fuels are burnt, which in turn causes an increase in air pollutants like PM and greenhouse gases. The type of AC and its maintenance is important in how much energy it consumes and what it releases.

The doctor also added that many ACs release harmful gases like chlorofluorocarbon, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen gases that are not good for the climate and affect people’s health. 

Monika was surprised to hear such facts about AC and how it affects the planet and our health in the long run. She asked the doctor, “This means we are unsafe in an AC room?”

“Maybe. It depends,” the doctor replied.

“AC cools the air around us, creating a lot of humidity and moisture during this process. A badly maintained or designed AC can create a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria affecting your health. 

However, on the contrary, using a well-maintained AC with a good design can filter out outdoor pollutants and keep you safe from air pollution.” the doctor added.

“Doctor, how can we solve this issue and manage it on our part?” Monika asked.

The doctor told Monika a few measures one could take to manage the harmful effects caused by ACs.

1. Ensure you use an energy saver AC that is designed and maintained well. 
2. Install AC that has premium filters.
3. Avoid sitting the whole day in AC as it also causes dry and irritated skin with other health issues.

Monika understood the importance of using a good AC over an average one. When she returned to her flat, she did the research and found out that her AC was too old and hadn’t had any filters.

She replaced her AC with a good one, cared for her health, used fans whenever possible, and got better.

The bottom line is that AC might not cause air pollution directly, but it does add to it. Moreover, using an old, poorly maintained AC can cause serious health problems that can be avoided with proper maintenance.