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PubMed2004

Physiological and subjective responses in the elderly when using floor heating and air conditioning systems.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a floor heating and air conditioning system on thermal responses of the elderly. Eight elderly men and eight university students sat for 90 minutes in a chair under the following 3 conditions: air conditioning system (A), floor heating system (F) and no heating system (C). The air temperature of sitting head height for condition A was 25 degrees C, and the maximum difference in vertical air temperature was 4 degrees C. The air and floor temperature for condition F were 21 and 29 degrees C, respectively. The air temperature for condition C was 15 degrees C. There were no significant differences in rectal temperature and mean skin temperature between condition A and F. Systolic blood pressure of the elderly men in condition C significantly increased compared to those in condition A and F. No significant differences in systolic blood pressure between condition A and F were found. The percentage of subjects who felt comfortable under condition F was higher than that of those under condition A in both age groups, though the differences between condition F and A was not significant. Relationships between thermal comfort and peripheral (e.g., instep, calf, hand) skin temperature, and the relationship between thermal comfort and leg thermal sensation were significant for both age groups. However, the back and chest skin temperature and back thermal sensation for the elderly, in contrast to that for the young, was not significantly related to thermal comfort. These findings suggested that thermal responses and physiological strain using the floor heating system did not significantly differ from that using the air conditioning system, regardless of the subject age and despite the fact that the air temperature with the floor heating system was lower. An increase in BP for elderly was observed under the condition in which the air temperature was 15 degrees C, and it was suggested that it was necessary for the elderly people to heat the room somehow in winter. Moreover, it is particularly important for elderly people to avoid a decrease in peripheral skin temperature, and maintain awareness of the warmth of peripheral areas, such as the leg, in order to ensure thermal comfort.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Hygienic evaluation of substrata of contamination of ventilation and air conditioning systems].

Modern ventilation and air conditioning systems are complex technological objects in environment which can be sources of health-hazardous factors, including biological ones. Ventilation and air conditioning contact systems with water and partial air recirculation have construction prerequisites for environmental accumulation and dispersal of organic substances of microorganism and anthropogenic origin. Pollution substrates of inner surfaces of the above systems contain specific antigens causing immune response in persons working in air-conditioned premises.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1978

Effect of central air conditioning and meteorologic factors on indoor spore counts.

We have studied the effect of residential central air conditioning on indoor spore counts. The air of 6 pairs of homes (air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned) was sampled volumetrically 4 times daily for 3 consecutive days at 2-hr intervals in the kitchens, bedrooms, and basements with an Anderson sampler. Nearly simultaneous samples were taken outdoors at the same intervals. The total spore count was significantly lower (p less than 0.05) in the kitchens and bedrooms of air-conditined as compared to non-air-conditioned homes. Logarithmic conversion of the total spore count showed significant reduction in all indoor locations of air-conditioned homes. Multiple regression analysis revealed the lower relative humidity of air-conditioned homes to be associated with the lower spore counts. There was no difference in the percent concentration of the major genera within both types of homes. Since reducing the influx of outdoor spores decreases the total spore count without altering the relative concentration of the genera whereas filtration preferentially removes the larger spores, we conclude that the major mechanism in reducing spore counts in air-conditioned homes is the closed windows, although the lower relative humidity and perhaps filtration are also associated with lower spore counts.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1992

Air-conditioning and mortality in hot weather.

A cohort of 72,740 persons for whom information on household air-conditioning was available was monitored for mortality via the National Death Index from April 1980 through December 1985. A total of 2,275 deaths occurred among the members of this cohort. The basic question addressed was whether persons in households with air-conditioning experienced lower death rates during hot weather than persons in households without air-conditioning. This question was examined for both central and room air-conditioning. The analysis was based on a state-by-state approach, that cross-tabulated deaths by air-conditioning status (yes or no) and average temperature during the month of death (less than 21.2 degrees C (less than 70 degrees F) or greater than or equal to 21.2 degrees C (greater than or equal to 70 degrees F)). The Mantel-Haenszel and sign tests were used to summarize the data. For central air-conditioning versus no air-conditioning, statistically significant benefits (p less than 0.05, Mantel-Haenszel test) were observed for the overall total, for females, for persons not in the labor force, and for persons living in fewer than six rooms. These groups had more exposure to air-conditioning. The relative risk for the total group was 0.58, implying that in hot weather, the death rate for persons who had central air-conditioning was 42 percent lower than the rate for persons who did not have air-conditioning, after confounding variables had been controlled for. For room air-conditioning versus no air-conditioning, the odds ratio for the total group was 0.96, which was not significantly different from 1.0, suggesting that no real benefit was derived from room air-conditioning. Some reasons for the lack of a demonstrable benefit for room air-conditioning are given.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Improving microbial air quality in air-conditioned mass transport buses by opening the bus exhaust ventilation fans.

The air quality in air-conditioned mass transport buses may affect bus drivers' health. In-bus air quality improvement with the voluntary participation of bus drivers by opening the exhaust ventilation fans in the bus was implemented in the Seventh Bus Zone of Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. Four bus numbers, including bus numbers 16, 63, 67 and 166, were randomly selected to investigate microbial air quality and to observe the effect of opening the exhaust ventilation fans in the bus. With each bus number, 9 to 10 air-conditioned buses (total, 39 air-conditioned buses) were included. In-bus air samples were collected at 5 points in each studied bus using the Millipore Air Tester. A total of 195 air samples were cultured for bacterial and fungal counts. The results reveal that the exhaust ventilation fans of 17 air-conditioned buses (43.6%) were opened to ventilate in-bus air during the cycle of the bus route. The means +/- SD of bacterial counts and fungal counts in the studied buses with opened exhaust ventilation fans (83.8 +/- 70.7 and 38.0 +/- 42.8 cfu/m3) were significantly lower than those in the studied buses without opened exhaust ventilation fans (199.6 +/- 138.8 and 294.1 +/- 178.7 cfu/m3), p < 0.0005. All the air samples collected from the studied buses with opened exhaust ventilation fans were at acceptable levels (< 500 cfu/m3) compared with 4.6% of the air samples collected from the studied buses without opened exhaust ventilation fans, which had high levels (> 500 cfu/m3). Of the studied buses with opened exhaust ventilation fans (17 buses), the bacterial and fungal counts after opening the exhaust ventilation fans (68.3 +/- 33.8 and 28.3 +/- 19.3 cfu/m3) were significantly lower than those before opening the exhaust ventilation fans (158.3 +/- 116.9 and 85.3 +/- 71.2 cfu/m3), p < 0.005.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Airborne microbial contaminants in indoor environments. Naturally ventilated and air-conditioned homes.

The atmospheric burden of viable particulates in the interiors of condominium homes with central air conditioning was compared with that of the typically more open-type of naturally ventilated Hawaiian homes. Andersen microbial air samplers were used to enumerate the numbers and kinds of respirable fungi and bacteria inside the residences. The results were compared with that obtained outside the homes to evaluate the impact of the air conditioning systems on indoor air quality. There were no significant differences in microbial air contaminants between the outdoors and the air inside naturally ventilated residences. The air inside air conditioned homes were found to have fewer fungi, including a significantly smaller number of Cladosporium sp., but had a significantly greater number of Aspergillus sp. when compared to the outdoors. The total number of bacteria and the number of Gram positive (+) cocci were significantly larger inside air-conditioned residences than outside. A preliminary health status survey revealed occupants of centrally air-conditioned homes had more complaints of eye irritation, sneezing, nasal congestion, and cough.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Hygienic investigation of indoor environment in air-conditioned passenger trains].

OBJECTIVE: Explore the hygienic status of indoor environment in railway air-conditioned passenger trains. METHODS: We carried out a hygienic investigation of various air-conditioned passenger trains on total 10 railway lines in Shanghai, Chengtu, Kunming, Harbin, Urumchi and Guangzhou railway bureaus for two years between July, 1997 and Oct., 1999. The monitoring was conducted on difference train cars at different time, different railway status. The control groups were selected in the same condition. RESULTS: The results of temperature and wind speed in air-conditioned trains both meet with the national standards GB 9673-1996 in summer and winter. The humidity in summer exceeded the national standards. Of different railways the status, the noise in four different cars except dining cars exceeded the national standards. The results of shock demonstrated that all measure up to the standards of ISO 2631/1-85. As to indoor air quality, the concentration of CO in air-conditioned trains in difference seasons(summer, autumn, winter) all met with the national standards, the ratio was 100%. In summer, the concentrations of CO2 in hard seat cars and soft berth car exceeded the national standard with a statistic significance(P < 0.01). In winter, the concentrations of CO2 in soft berth and hard berth cars both exceeded the same standard. The results of inhalable particulate matter(IP) and total count of bacteria all satisfied the standards, meanwhile the natural lighting and artificial illumination in air-conditioned train cars all were superior to that in ordinary trains. CONCLUSION: Humidity in summer and noise in dining car exceeded the standards, the concentration of CO2 in different cars in summer and winter exceeded the standards in some degrees.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1999

[Relationships between air conditioning, airborne microorganisms and health].

Concurrently with the increase of air-conditioning, potentially severe or frequent new diseases have emerged, giving rise to social and economical consequences. The first part of this work is a state of the art review of the relationships between air-conditioning, airborne microorganisms and health, through a technical, metrological and medical approach. The second part presents four studies performed in this field. Two of them deal with the relationship between airborne microorganisms and technical features of air-conditioning. Measurements performed on actual sites demonstrated the benefit of using high efficiency filters and low risk components in air-conditioning systems. The third study was aimed to look for a relationship between airborne microorganisms and sick building syndrome symptoms. Statistical analyses of individual data revealed significant associations between airborne bacteria or fungi and symptoms. These results may be the first step in determining a dose-response relationship, in order to define threshold limit values in this field. In the fourth study, the contribution of particle counting in assessing exposure to airborne microorganisms was explored by monitoring simultaneous variations of microbial and particle concentrations. The results showed that associating particle counting may allow to detect microbial variations instantaneously, and therefore improve the assessment of exposure to airborne microorganisms.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1975

[Transfer of organisms during exchange of heat and moisture in air conditioning installations (author's transl)].

With the exhaust air from ventilation and air conditioning installations escaping into the open, the heat content is also lost which fresh air from outside obtains at considerable expense of energy and technical equipment. The heat content, on the other hand, consists of about equal proportions of sensible heat and latent heat which is associated with the moisture content of the air. In order to regain the heat content of the escaping air so as to be able to use it again - and this is becoming increasingly important with rising energy costs - heat exchangers are necessary which remove the heat content from the exhaust air and transfer it to the fresh air from outside. With the high proportion of latent heat, this energy exchange is only effective if the latent heat can also be regained. For this purpose it is essential to have exchange surfaces which store and transfer both heat and moisture. To achieve this they must come into contact with the exhaust air stream and the fresh air stream alternately. Technically, this is done in a simple way by resolving rotor-like storage material. But a rigid separation of the air streams is no longer possible. Even if it is known that there are very highly developed sealing elements between the fixed and moving parts, the question whether particles from the exhaust air can get into the newly introduced outside air through the rotating storage material still gains in importance in certain types of usuage. For example, this is of importance for hospitals, especially in the operation areas in which air conditioning is desirable for 24 hours daily on hygienic grounds, but also in schools and offices where the present normal practice, for economic reasons, of recirculating air is to be avoided to stop the transference of infections pathogens and odours. In various places, experiments have been carried out earlier with heat exchangers consisting of asbestos board and with rotating storage material coated with lithium chloride and a particularly high degree of exchange achieved. The experiments are published and had the result that nothing was transferred which could give rise to objection. Yet these experiments have been criticised from various points of view.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed2004

[A trouble in air conditioning in the operating area].

We experienced malfunction of air conditioning system in the operating area. Rust inside the circulating pipe to the operating area was an obstacle to inflow of cold and hot water. Installing an additional air conditioning system and treatment with chemicals to remove the dust made it possible to adjust room temperature appropriately. Anesthesiologists should be interested and understand equipments used in the operation area such as air conditioning system.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1985

Pollen studies in a hospital air-conditioned room.

Pollen slides were exposed daily for a week at the height of the ragweed season for 2 successive years. They were placed in a hospital air-conditioned room, an adjacent room which was not air-conditioned, and outdoors on the roof of an office building in downtown Providence, R.I. The air-conditioning apparatus was quite successful in removing pollen and mold spores from the room with much lower counts than from non air-conditioned rooms. Even in the non air-conditioned room the quantity of pollen and spores was drastically lower than those found outside, suggesting that clinical improvement should occur by simply being indoors. Pollen trapped in a room may stay there for some time beyond its usual outdoor season.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1985

The effect of ipratropium bromide (Atrovent) on the air conditioning capacity of the nose.

The air conditioning capacity of the nose was assessed by a method which permits measurements in both nasal cavities without blockage of the passage between the nasopharynx and oropharynx. By this method the degree of warming of the air and its humidification during the passage through the nasal cavity can be calculated. The effect of intranasal application of ipratropium bromide (Atrovent) on the air conditioning capacity of the nasal mucosa was evaluated in a group of normal subjects and a group of patients with vasomotor rhinitis. In this short term trial Atrovent was found not to have any effect on this capacity.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Study of indoor radon levels in high-rise air-conditioned office buildings.

A series of measurements were conducted to study the indoor radon pollution in air-conditioned high-rise office buildings. Continuous monitoring of indoor radon levels in nine air-conditioned premises located in six office buildings in Hong Kong was conducted from August 1996 to February 1998. Each of the tests lasted for at least 48 hours. The measurement covered both day time monitoring while the air-conditioning was on and night time monitoring while the air-conditioning was off. The indoor radon level followed inversely the operation pattern of the mechanical ventilation systems in the buildings. During office hours when the mechanical ventilation was on, the indoor radon level decayed and after the mechanical ventilation was off during non-office hours, the radon level increased. The average indoor radon level during office hours on the nine premises varied from 87 Bq/m3 to 296 Bq/m3, and the indoor averaged radon levels over both day time and night time periods without mechanical ventilation were about 25 percent higher. The air infiltration rate and the radon emission characteristics from the building materials were estimated from the radon build-up curves which were observed after the mechanical ventilation was off. The radon decay curve observed after the mechanical ventilation system was turned on was used to calculate the total fresh air intake rate. Average radon emanation rates of the building materials in the six buildings varied from 0.0019 to 0.0033 Bq/m2s. It has been found that building infiltration rate accounted for about 10-30 percent of the total building ventilation rate in the buildings depending on building tightness.

Air Conditioning↗