A/C warning from the expert: We strongly discourage the use of uninterrupted air conditioning

In the summer season, the use of air conditioners increased as temperatures rose above normal. In some provinces, the temperature rises above 40 degrees, making the use of air conditioners mandatory. Memorial Kayseri Hospital Internal Medicine Specialist Assoc. Dr Hatice Karagöz said the most common case of using air conditioning is muscle pain. Expressing that air conditioning causes headaches as well as muscle pain, Karagöz said: “Air conditioning is something that increases our comfort of life, especially in summer, but there are also problems that we do not like as much as its effects.

The most common problem we see when using air conditioners is muscle pain. It can cause pain, especially in the neck and back. Headaches are another common problem. We see these pains much more in close contact. Aside from muscle aches and headaches, air conditioning can cause severe dry skin and eyes. Aside from that, the findings we see most often relate to the respiratory system. This is the most dangerous. Specifically, it can cause a type of pneumonia caused by the legionella bacteria, which we call legionnaires. Of course, this is a problem I see especially with air conditioners in public areas. It’s less common in household air conditioners,” he said.

Karagöz said it is important not to come into direct contact with the air conditioner, saying: “It would be very appropriate to cool down the environment we are in and then be in that environment. Furthermore, we certainly do not recommend the use of uninterrupted air conditioning. If we have an environment suitable for ventilation, it is very useful for health to turn off the air conditioners and ventilate the environment at least every 3 hours. When using an air conditioner, we should adjust the temperature according to the room environment as much as possible. We certainly do not recommend very low temperatures. We should not prefer temperatures below 22 degrees. Also, if the environment is very hot, it is highly recommended to cool it suddenly and reduce it to very low degrees. Especially in the field of Legionnaires’ disease, we need to pay close attention to the periodic and routine maintenance of the air conditioners in our area.

Karagöz, who also advises on car air conditioners, said: “Because car air conditioners are smaller and more closed environments, they can cause more problems. Muscle pain in particular is a situation we see a lot. Therefore, when we turn on the air conditioning in the car, we have to be very careful not to touch our face directly.