EFFECTS OF AIR CONDITIONERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT:
Air conditioning has been around for about a century and for many people, it is just
used for comfort but for most people in these extremely hot conditions. Worldwide,
Air conditioners require lots of energy to function properly which results in the
consumption of more electricity and the issue however is that air conditioning has
been found to have damaging effects on the environment. It seems the use of air
conditioning is increasing pollution in the environment by releasing poisonous
gases into the environment. These gases include the chlorofluorocarbons and
hydro-chlorofluorocarbons.

There is a negative impact on the environment as these are part of the greenhouse
gases that trap heat and lead to depletion of the ozone layer. The problem is that
the hotter our environment gets, the more reliant we become on air conditioning
systems. Air conditioning is said to make the environment even hotter due to its
contribution to global warming. In addition to the negative effects on the
environment, air conditioning can also become a health hazard especially to those
that are absolutely reliant on it.

The use of air conditioning is increasing pollution in the environment by releasing

poisonous gases into the environment. With the continuous use of an air
conditioning system, the air filters lose a bit of their integrity and allow the passage
of harmful compounds from outside into home or office. These can trigger
allergies and, in some cases, even cause skin, eye, nose, and throat irritation. These
gases include the chlorofluorocarbons and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons.  They have
a negative impact on the environment as they are part of the greenhouse gases that
trap heat and lead to depletion of the ozone layer. The problem is that the hotter
our environment gets, the more reliant we become on air conditioning systems.

The main objective of our case study is to study the effects of Air Conditioners in
our environment.

Keywords: Air conditioner; Health effects; Physiological discomfort; Allergic

symptoms; Physical ailment.
INTRODUCTION:

The concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) increase in a
warmer climate and that 3.8% of the total increase in PM2.5 and 6.7% of the total
increase in ozone (O3) are attributable to extra air conditioning use.Tracey
Holloway [6] calculated that climate change alone increases summer air-pollution-
related premature mortality by about 13,000 deaths due to PM2.5 and 3,000 deaths
due to O3 (consistent with other studies). Increased air conditioning, specifically,
accounts for 654 future summer PM2.5-related deaths (approximately $6 billion
cost—based on a value of statistical life calculated from 26 studies—and a 4.8%
increase above climate change impacts alone) and 315 O3-related deaths
(approximately $3 billion cost and an 8.7% increase above climate change impacts
alone).
Most air conditioners are fueled by electricity and use a refrigerant that results in
gaseous emissions that contribute to global warming and ozone layer depletion. In
fact, some studies predict that by 2050, roughly 25 percent of global warming will
be caused by air conditioning. Although air-conditioning currently accounts for a
modest proportion of the environmental impact of buildings in the entire world, its
ownership and use is generally expected to continue to grow. The size of world-
wide air-conditioning market reflects both growth in the number of buildings and
increasing market penetration into existing buildings, so the drivers for growth are
stronger than for heating or lighting. For this reason, room air conditioners are one
of a number of products that are being considered as possible targets for measures
under the Energy-using Products Directive. In addition to the negative effects on
the environment, air conditioning can also become a health hazard especially to
those that are absolutely reliant on it. With continuous use of an air conditioning
system, the air filters lose a bit of their integrity and allow passage of harmful
compounds from outside into your home or office. These can trigger allergies and,
in some cases, even cause eye, nose and throat irritation.

Furthermore, there is the issue that air conditioning systems consume a lot more
electricity and put a strain on the electricity generation industry. It also leads to
more pollution considering the generation of electricity involves burning of coal in
some countries. Not all countries are able to generate electricity with hydrothermal
energy. In regions where generators are used as source of electricity, the pollution
is even greater as generators utilize crude oil products and release carbon
monoxide into the environment. The higher the demand exerted on the generator,
the higher the release of carbon monoxide and other unhealthy gases.

With the world going green, air conditioning is becoming frowned at even though
some regions cannot do without its else people might start combusting into flames.
There have been a lot of ongoing research into greener cooling systems in order to
save the environment but these innovations are not spreading quickly enough.

The latest advances include the use of geothermal cooling systems. These
geothermal systems can also be used to provide heat and hot water in domestic and
commercial regions.

LITERATURE SURVEY:
 Title of the paper Major Finding

[1] The study showed

that AC devices were
Amusa, Oluwafemi Daniel & Eleyowo, Oluwole. (2019). mostly used in sitting
“Evaluation of Air Condition Use and Its Health room > bedroom >
Effects”, Recent Advances in Biology and Medicine. 5. offices > vehicles.
1-7. 10.18639/RABM.2019.858317. The frequency of
cold, fever, headache,
and chest pain
significantly (p <
0.01) associate with
the use of AC in both
sitting room and
bedroom. The
prevalence of the
associated ailments
increased with
increase in the AC
contact duration (>6
h) among AC users
evaluated in the
study. Most of the
participants (>70%)
agreed that AC use
brings thermal
comfort and therefore
is good to health.
However, prolonged
exposure in indoor
AC environments
increased the risk of
physiological
discomfort for the AC
users in this study.

[2] In recent years,

indoor thermal
Yu, B.F. & Hu, Z.B. & Liu, Melody & Yang, H.L. & comfort has been
Kong, Q.X. & Liu, Y.H. (2009). “Review of research improved greatly due
on air-conditioning systems and indoor air quality to the development of
control for human health.” International Journal of air-conditioning
Refrigeration. 32. 3-20. 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2008.05.004. systems. However,
health problems
related to poor IAQ
appear more
frequently, and it is
the indoor pollutants
that lead to poor IAQ.

[3] This paper explores

the challenges linked
Lundgren-Kownacki K, Hornyanszky ED, Chu TA, to increased AC use
Olsson JA, Becker P. “Challenges of using air and discusses more
conditioning in an increasingly hot climate.” Int J sustainable
Biometeorol. 2018;62(3):401-412. doi:10.1007/s00484- alternatives.
017-1493-z

[4] In this issue of the

Mark J, Mendell (2006). “Commentary: Air journal, Preziosi et al.
conditioning as a risk for increased use of health report the first study
services” International Journal of Epidemiology. to assess differences
10.1093/ije/dyh264 in the utilization of
health care related to
the presence of AC in
office workplaces.

This reports the

[5] consequences of
repeated exposure to
D’Amato, M., Molino, A., Calabrese, G. et al. “The cold air and the
impact of cold on the respiratory tract and its mechanisms by which
consequences to respiratory health.” Clin Transl such exposure could
Allergy 8, 20 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13601- modify airway
018-0208-9 function and affect
the outcomes of
 patients with pre-
existing airway
disease.

[6]
This report examine
Abel DW, Holloway T, Harkey M, Meier P, Ahl D, et al. the effects of climate
(2018) “Air-quality-related health impacts from change on air quality
climate change and from adaptation of cooling and human health
demand for buildings in the eastern United States: through the combined
An interdisciplinary modelling study.” PLOS impacts of increased
Medicine 15(7): emissions from power
e1002599. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.100259 plants due to altered
9 air conditioning
demand and from
direct effects on
atmospheric
chemistry. And found
that concentrations of
fine particulate matter
(PM2.5) and ozone
(O3) increase in a
warmer climate and
that 3.8% of the total
increase in PM2.5 and
6.7% of the total
increase in ozone (O3)
are attributable to
extra air conditioning
use.

The authors
[7] investigated the
association between
Ostro B, Rauch S, Green R, Malig B, Basu R. “The temperature and
effects of temperature and use of air conditioning on hospital admissions in
hospitalizations. Am J Epidemiol”. 2010 Nov California from 1999
1;172(9):1053-61. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwq231. Epub 2010 to 2005. They also
Sep 9. PMID: 20829270. determined whether
AC ownership and
usage, assessed at the
zip-code level,
mitigated this
association. . The
authors included only
persons who had a
temperature monitor
within 25 km of their
residential zip code.
Using a time-
stratified case-
crossover approach,
the authors observed
a significantly
increased risk of
hospitalization for
multiple diseases,
including
cardiovascular
disease, ischemic
heart disease,
ischemic stroke,
respiratory disease,
pneumonia,
dehydration, heat
stroke, diabetes, and
acute renal failure,
with a 10°F increase
in same-day apparent
temperature. 
OBJECTIVE:

The rapid growth in the use of AC has been attributed majorly to protection from
high thermal exposures. However, there have been controversies regarding
physiological discomforts attributed to AC use. A study showed that AC devices
were mostly used in sitting room>bedroom>offices>vehicles. The frequency of
cold, fever, headache, and chest pain significantly (p<0.01) associate with the use
of AC in both sitting room and bedroom. The prevalence of the associated ailments
increased with increase in the AC contact duration (>6 h) among AC users
evaluated in the study. Most of the participants (>70%) agreed that AC use brings
thermal comfort and therefore is good to health. However, prolonged exposure in
indoor AC environments increased the risk of physiological discomfort for the AC
users in this study.

As temperature rises, the adaptive response of using air conditioning increases

electricity demand and subsequent emissions of harmful pollutants from electric
power plants. Independent of emissions from the electric power sector, climate
change is known to worsen air quality through changes in atmospheric chemistry
and natural biogenic emissions. [6] This report examines the effects of climate
change on air quality and human health through the combined impacts of increased
emissions from power plants due to altered air conditioning demand and from
direct effects on atmospheric chemistry.

The main objective of our case study is to study the effects of air conditioners on
our environment.

METHODOLOGY:

METHODOLOGY OF PROJECT

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

LITERATURE SURVEY

DISCUSSION OF EFFECTS

RESULTS
 CONCLUSION

PROJECT REPORT WRITING

RESULTS:

It is not possible to convert all environmental impacts to a single impact index,

since some types of impact are fundamentally different in nature from others.
Impact has been assessed on the basis of the total lifetime impact of products
installed in a particular year, and also as year by year impacts over the EU.
The use of an item, goods, or equipment depends not only on its availability but
also on users’ perspectives and beliefs. Many studies showed that most of the AC
users believed that the use of AC is safe for their health. AC devices have been
used in many parts of the world mostly for thermal comfort and an acceptable
indoor air quality for occupants. However, health problems associated with AC
systems and indoor air quality occur more frequently
Yu et al. [2] stated that indoor environment problems still exist in many AC
buildings, even though existing standards may be met. In this study, cold, feverish
conditions, headaches, and chest pain were found to be associated with the
duration of AC use in both the sitting room and bedroom. The degree of harm by
particle pollutants to the human body was related to the chemical characteristic,
diameter, magnitude, and quantity. The chemical characteristic of particle
pollutants is the main factor because the chemical characteristic determines the
degree and speed of biochemistry processes that particle pollutants participate in
and disturb in human body. Most of the particle pollutants in air are quite small.
They have difficulty in settling and being captured. Conversely, it is easy for them
to enter respiration canal deeply together with inhaled air. These are circulated in a
close environment with the aid of the AC device. Moreover, the surface of particle
pollutants can adsorb harmful gases, liquids, and microbes, which increases the
harm to human body.

CONCLUSION:
Several beliefs have made the use of AC devices a necessity in metropolitan cities
such as New York and New Delhi. Cold, fever, headache, and chest pain were
associated with the duration of exposure to indoor AC environment. However, with
the increased frequency of physiological discomfort experienced by the users, there
is a need to find ways to address this issue. Continuing growth over several
decades is likely with resultant increases in environmental impacts if product
design and use remain unchanged. Many room air conditioners also provide
carbon-efficient heating which can mitigate the impacts on greenhouse gas
emissions.
We therefore suggest that awareness should be made to educate the populace about
the likely dangers of prolonged exposure to indoor AC environment.

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332423381_Evaluation_of_Air_C
ondition_Use_and_Its_Health_Effects
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223853228_Review_of_research_
on_air-
conditioning_systems_and_indoor_air_quality_control_for_human_health
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5854721/
4. https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/33/5/1123/624014
5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13601-018-0208-9#citeas
6. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002599#abstract2
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20829270/
8. https://globalnews.ca/news/258330/top-5-health-problems-associated-with-
air-conditioning/
9. https://time.com/3942050/air-conditioner-healthy/
10. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/AC-
causes-more-harm-than-good/articleshow/7133000.cms
11. https://www.airoasis.com/knowledgebase/health-effects-of-air-conditioning/