Do air conditioners make us sick? The answer, according to New York Times health answer man Anahad O'Connor, is probably not. But maybe. O'Connor directs our attention to health advice offered by Cardiff University, which reminds us that the lining of the nose is covered with a thin layer of mucus which protects against infection, and warns that since air conditioners extract moisture from the air they may cause some drying of the protective mucous blanket in the nose and predispose to infection, and the cold air produced by air conditioners may also help viruses to establish a hold in the nose as they reproduce better in a cold nose. O'Connor also cites a 2004 study of 920 adult women that found that those who worked in offices with central air-conditioning had higher rates of absence due to sickness and more visits to ear, nose and throat doctors than those who worked in offices without central air; as well as an earlier 1998 study that also found more symptoms of sickness in workers in air-conditioned offices, compared with workers in offices with natural ventilation.
Stay cool, and read more from Anahad O'Connor.