CUBICLE
COLD
It
can be blistering outside but air conditioning in offices, cinema halls and
malls can chill you to the bone and make you ill
The average
day temperature in northern India hovers around 44 degree Celsius in June.
Entering an office air-conditioned to a perfect 18-degrees Celsius from the
raging furnace outside is always a great relief. But once you have been inside
for a while, the freeze starts seeping into your bones. So you drape a stole
around yourself or step outdoors once in a while for some warmth.
This isn’t just the story with offices. Our cinema theatres, malls, hotels and even hospitals are air conditioned to very uncomfortable levels in summer. Exposure to very cold, controlled temperatures indoors —16 degrees to 20 degrees — and torrid heat outside — 44 degrees and higher — results in health problems, and not just discomfort.
The flip-flop between the cold and the heat goads the dormant virus present inside the nose into action. This makes the nose run. The difference between the temperature inside the lungs and the nose can peak to as much as 20 degrees in an airconditioned environment. The body starts circulating more blood to the nose to increase its temperature, making it stuffy. “Every summer we start getting more cases of allergies and cold due to the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors,” says Dr L M Parashar, ENT specialist at Nova Medical Centre in Delhi. Trisha Verma, a content writer from Delhi, says she always carries a shawl
with her to work. “Inside our office we keep blocking the AC vents with cardboard or paper. I have developed a wheezing problem because of the cold,” says Verma who has been prescribed anti-allergens for relief.
A closed air-conditioned environment also ends up recycling stale air. The vents harbour microbes and if they are not cleaned regularly they pollute the air and cause infections or allergies. Indoor plants and carpets in the office makes things worse as they too release allergens.
Suneet Jha, an asthma patient, has been working from home for the past one week because sitting in office makes him wheeze heavily. “I face this problem every summer because of air conditioning inside the office. At home it is better because I keep turning the AC off at regular intervals and also let fresh air come in,” says Jha, 33, an android game developer whose office is in Gurgaon.
The lack of moisture in the air outside and in air-conditioned indoors also leads to infections. The mucosa, the pink skin inside the nose, fights infections. But in summer when you expose yourself to the dry cold blast of the AC for long hours, it dries up this mucosa, leaving you susceptible to infections. The dry air also leaves your nose and throat feeling parched — a common complaint of those who sleep in air conditioned rooms. This happens because air conditioners suck the air dry.
Installing ACs with humidifiers is one way out. At home keeping a wet towel in the room or sprinkling some water on mattress before going to bed is another way of ensuring more moisture in the air. “ACs in office should be kept at 25-26 degrees so that people entering the building from outdoors don’t experience a huge shift in ambient temperature,” says Dr Parashar. Most office air conditioning units maintain the temperature at 16-20 degrees Celsius.
Most office buildings don’t have effective air conditioning equipment that can be modulated. So, drink plenty of water through the day and splash water on the face as and when possible. This will keep you hydrated and also boost immunity.
This isn’t just the story with offices. Our cinema theatres, malls, hotels and even hospitals are air conditioned to very uncomfortable levels in summer. Exposure to very cold, controlled temperatures indoors —16 degrees to 20 degrees — and torrid heat outside — 44 degrees and higher — results in health problems, and not just discomfort.
The flip-flop between the cold and the heat goads the dormant virus present inside the nose into action. This makes the nose run. The difference between the temperature inside the lungs and the nose can peak to as much as 20 degrees in an airconditioned environment. The body starts circulating more blood to the nose to increase its temperature, making it stuffy. “Every summer we start getting more cases of allergies and cold due to the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors,” says Dr L M Parashar, ENT specialist at Nova Medical Centre in Delhi. Trisha Verma, a content writer from Delhi, says she always carries a shawl
with her to work. “Inside our office we keep blocking the AC vents with cardboard or paper. I have developed a wheezing problem because of the cold,” says Verma who has been prescribed anti-allergens for relief.
A closed air-conditioned environment also ends up recycling stale air. The vents harbour microbes and if they are not cleaned regularly they pollute the air and cause infections or allergies. Indoor plants and carpets in the office makes things worse as they too release allergens.
Suneet Jha, an asthma patient, has been working from home for the past one week because sitting in office makes him wheeze heavily. “I face this problem every summer because of air conditioning inside the office. At home it is better because I keep turning the AC off at regular intervals and also let fresh air come in,” says Jha, 33, an android game developer whose office is in Gurgaon.
The lack of moisture in the air outside and in air-conditioned indoors also leads to infections. The mucosa, the pink skin inside the nose, fights infections. But in summer when you expose yourself to the dry cold blast of the AC for long hours, it dries up this mucosa, leaving you susceptible to infections. The dry air also leaves your nose and throat feeling parched — a common complaint of those who sleep in air conditioned rooms. This happens because air conditioners suck the air dry.
Installing ACs with humidifiers is one way out. At home keeping a wet towel in the room or sprinkling some water on mattress before going to bed is another way of ensuring more moisture in the air. “ACs in office should be kept at 25-26 degrees so that people entering the building from outdoors don’t experience a huge shift in ambient temperature,” says Dr Parashar. Most office air conditioning units maintain the temperature at 16-20 degrees Celsius.
Most office buildings don’t have effective air conditioning equipment that can be modulated. So, drink plenty of water through the day and splash water on the face as and when possible. This will keep you hydrated and also boost immunity.
SHOBITA
DHAR TCR130615
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