CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The dog days of summer are officially here and that means lots of time in the cool air conditioning.
But could that A/C actually make you sick?
Let's verify.
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, the A/C can not make you sick, as long as it's properly maintained.
WHAT WE FOUND
Patterson said anytime your body rapidly cools down, you are susceptible to getting sick...
“But generally, that has to be on a frequent basis to like in and out in and out," Patterson said.
Patterson said if you've been outside sweating, you should slowly acclimate yourself to the chillier temps indoors.
“You don't want to cool down too quickly," he said. "So especially if you are starting to feel long sets of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, you want to cool down, but you don't want to cool down too quickly."
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But Patterson said it's not the AC that makes you sick, it’s the quick temperature change. However, he said the AC could play a factor in your overall well-being.
“The AC can lead to circumstances to where it can make it unhealthy in the house," he said. "So it's always important to have a well-maintained system to make sure that the unit is getting the humidity out of the house and you don't have a mold growth or anything like that.”
A study from The National Library of Medicine found that when poorly maintained, HVAC systems may be sources of contaminants that can cause adverse health effects.
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