Breathing is such a fundamental part of life that it can be shocking to learn that it could be the very thing causing you to be allergic.
Can You Be Allergic To Air?
Yes you can be allergic to air.
The quality of your air can cause adverse health effects such as:
- Shortness of breath
- Respiratory infection
- Cardiovascular disease
- Increased asthma attacks
- Lung cancer
- Early death
Technically air, in its purest form could not cause an allergic reaction of any type.
A breath of fresh air is as nutritious as a drink of clean mineral water or a plate of organic fruits.
It is one of the building blocks of our lives and without it we would quickly die.
But unfortunately the environments we live in do not offer us pure fresh air.
The air we most often breathe is full of all sorts of airborne allergens.
Airborne allergens come in the form of:
- Pollen
- Pet dander
- Dust mites
- Mold spores
- Vocs (chemical based air pollution)
Our daily life is full of all sorts of airborne bacteria, viruses, and particulates. There is literally no way to avoid being exposed to bad air quality.
One of the most often overlooked places that you or exposed to indoor air pollution is in your own home or office.
Our highly architecturally designed buildings and homes are built in such a way did the outdoor climate stays outside and the indoor climate stays inside.
Tightly sealed windows and doors guarantee that we do not have the heat hindering our cool indoor air or the winter cold encroaching on our warm and toasty bedrooms.
To manage the climate inside the house or office, most homes and buildings are outfitted with central heat and air these days.
And though we could hardly live without them anymore, there is another problem with the HVAC staring us in the face.
The central heat and air units we have in our basement or attic have become one of the primary sources of indoor air pollution.
Yes you can be allergic to air conditioning. Air conditioners are a hot zone of indoor air pollutants mainly in the form of mold and mold spores.
The reason being is that air conditioners create condensation and do so in the dark. Moisture and darkness are two of the main ingredients for the formation and spread of mold.
The HVAC has literally become a giant distribution center of allergens, airborne bacterium, and mold spores.
When there is mold growing inside of your central air conditioning unit, mold spores are distributed throughout the house or building each and every time it’s cycles on and off.
The formation of mold spores inside the central heat and air handler is not the only problem that exasperated bad indoor air quality.
There is also a situation with the supply and return air on the machine.
When the air conditioning and heating unit is running it’s cycles are throughout the whole building.
This means that if any type of indoor air pollution is introduced into one area of the home, it will be distributed throughout the whole area of the house
because of the ductwork that is splintering off into every room in the house or business.
This means that you can have a reaction to pet dander even if your dog stays in the kitchen while you’re in the bedroom.
Literally every type of indoor air pollutant that enters into your home whether it be pollen, dust mites, or second hand smoke, your HVAC handler will help distribute it throughout the whole house.
How can you get relief from Air conditioning allergies?
1. Regular duct work cleaning
Benefits of duct cleaning
- Cleaner home or office
- Diminishes allergies and irritations
- Assist with breathing better
- Reduces offensive odours
- Helps unit work more efficiently
- Reduces necessary repairs
- Extends the life of the unit
Keeping the air ducts clean will not only tremendously help the efficiency of your air unit, it will also help you keep the air ducts from becoming a breeding ground are all types of airborne contaminants.
When the air ducts are dusty, what do you think comes with the dust?
That’s right. Dust mites.
Dust mites congregate in the thousands wherever the surface is dusty. Especially when you add humidity like the inside of your air conditioner
Imagine the level of dust mics that could be living in your ductwork if it hasn’t been maintained in a while.
Mold spores and mildew also have optimal opportunity to grow and spread throughout your air ducts when they have not been maintained regularly.
A great deal with the population is allergic to mold and have to deal with a whole host of symptoms including headaches, wheezing, and shortness of breath, whenever they are in the vicinity of mold.
Could it be that was right under your nose the whole time in the form of a dirty HVAC and duct work system.
2. Keep the filters clean
Dirty HVAC filters will not only keep your unit from working right because they restrict the airflow that is needed, they will also hinder the filtering ability that helped capture indoor air pollutants as they move through your air handler and ductwork.
Consequently dirty HVAC filters are also one of the first places to look when your heat or your cool air is not happening the way you need.
Imagine having to have a HVAC technician out because your heat will not come on and he simply has to change out the filter. Embarrassing yet very common.
3. In duct air purifiers
Placing an in duct air purifier in your central heat and air system it was one of the best ways to combat air conditioning allergies.
These air purifiers come in basically two types of technology.
a. Ultraviolet light.
A Ultraviolet light or UVC lamp can be placed right above your condensers and drip pan to keep mold from growing are forming in the first place.
b. PCO.
This is a type of ionic air purifier that creates millions of hydro peroxide ions that circle inside of your machine an oxidize bacteria and mold spores what’s the way that hydrogen peroxide, the cut and abrasion cleaner disinfect a wound.
These are shaped more like a tube that is inserted into your ductwork near the supply and return air to clean the air that is coming from into your air conditioner and heating unit.
c. Plasmawave
Also in the form of a tube that is inserted into your ductwork or plenum.
This type of air conditioning purifier
Generates negative and positive ions better unleashed into your system. The way they work is through the polarity of the ions. When the oxygen molecule is split into a negative and a positive ion and released, they are instantly attracted and snap back together, trapping anything that gets in the way.
In this case, mold spores, dust mites, and bacteria.
Though in duct air purifiers are one of the best things you can do to reduce allergens in your home or office, they do not replace the regular cleaning of the ductwork and the replacing of the filters.
The note about HEPA filters in an HVAC system. Though you can purchase HEPA filters for your HVAC system, it is not advised to use this is a combative against air conditioning allergies.
The reason being is that the central heat and air system needs the air to flow freely in order to work efficiently.
HEPA filters though being best filter for air pollution or much too dense for your unit to work properly. This will not only increase the cost of your electricity it will also decrease the life of your air handler and bring about more frequent repairs.
4. Whole house dehumidifier.
A whole house dehumidifier inside of your HVAC will not only decrease the amount of humidity that is necessary for mold and other viruses to gain ground, it will also keep your air conditioner from running non-stop when it is humid outside and in the house. This will be a big relief to your air conditioner and to your checkbook.
It will also reduce the amount of maintenance required for your central heat and air because humidity makes your air conditioner work overtime to reach the desired temperature set on your thermostat.
