Are Air Conditioners Toxic?

You’ve probably been told once or twice in your life that the air coming out of your air conditioner is not safe to inhale. This little piece of information could have left you terrified, since you can’t withstand the daily high temperature heat you come across anywhere you are. You practically can’t do without having the air conditioner in your car, home, or office switched off, especially during periods of heat and humidity.

And now you’re searching for answers — are air conditioners toxic? Could it be true that my air conditioner is toxic or I have just been successfully misinformed? We’re here to answer this question for you and to give you some peace of mind.

Are AC units toxic or not?

So then — are air conditioners toxic? It has been scientifically proven that air conditioners are not toxic if properly maintained. Air conditioners give comfort to billions of people during warm weather, so if ACs were mechanically toxic, they would have been banned a very long time ago by the government, experts, or health care providers. Moreover, the air being emitted by your air conditioner is air from the environment. Air conditioners do not manufacture air — they’re designed to take air from the surroundings and circulate it through a complicated system that will take away the heat in an enclosed space and provide cool air. So you can calm yourself and be relaxed, as air conditioners are safe to use.

When AC units go bad

As much as we are aware that air conditioners are not inherently harmful by design, keep in mind that poorly maintained or badly designed air conditioners can become polluted and are therefore capable of inflicting harm. That is to say, when your air conditioner is not properly and regularly maintained, the possibility of microorganisms and germs growing and hanging around the system is well above average, which makes the air being emitted by the air conditioner very harmful if inhaled.

According to Dr Mendell of The California Department of Public Health, contaminated air conditioning systems, apart from having the ability to make asthma-related problems more critical and to heighten allergies, can also cause what he calls “sick building syndrome” seen more in individuals above 70 years old. He added that the sick building syndrome is accompanied by difficulties in breathing, tiredness, headaches, skin irritation, and nasal congestion. Therefore, constantly maintaining your air conditioning system is highly recommended.

Why AC units are useful

Although we are focusing on air conditioners being toxic, we must also not fail to at least highlight some of the importance of having an air conditioner. Outdoor air pollution is common, particularly in cities and towns are filtered by air conditioners. No doubt these pollution elements being filtered by the AC is a good thing for people who live in these environments. In this way, air conditioning can be seen as a helpful device.

With the above information, we believe that questions concerning your air conditioner being toxic have been answered. All you need to do is to develop a strong maintenance policy with regards to your air conditioner and you won’t have to worry about your AC being harmful or toxic to your health.