Air conditioners can probably be found in any modern office, store or other enclosed space these days.
This technology certainly provides comfort on hot summer days, but at the same time it can pose a serious danger.
First, let's remember how air conditioners work: they take air from the room and pass it through a refrigerant, which cools the incoming gas when it evaporates.
At the same time, the water that is present in the air, due to the temperature difference, begins to condense in the air conditioner. Condensate, as a rule, comes out: perhaps you yourself have seen small puddles on the asphalt under the air conditioners.
This seemingly harmless effect can pose a danger to human health.
Let us explain: some of the condensate can return to the room together with the air. The moisture spreads throughout the apartment or office in the form of an aerosol.
But if there are microorganisms in the air conditioning system – these could be harmless amoebas infected with Legionella bacteria – Legionella bacteria enter the human body along with the water, causing the so-called Legionnaires' disease or Pittsburgh pneumonia.
If treatment is not started in time, the bacteria can cause death.
Here's why air conditioners can be dangerous: if the first symptoms of illness appear, you should seek medical help immediately.
