The Impact of Air-conditioning Usage on Sick Building Syndrome during Summer in China

Abstract

The air-conditioned thermal environments can have an important impact on human health. People stay in air-conditioned environments for a long period of time would tend to present weakened thermal adaptation and have weaker ability to endure hot environment, hence increasing the risk burden caused by heat stress on their physiological regulations to cause discomfort. In this study the relationship between human health – a prevalence of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) – and air-conditioned indoor environment in summer was analysed using field studies. The results show that the discomfort could include physiological effects affecting the nervous system, the digestive system, the respiratory system, as well as irritation to skin and mucous membranes due to exposure to conditioned air. The frequency of such feelings of discomfort was higher for subjects who are acclimatised to air-conditioned spaces than for people who are not accustomed to air-conditioning. Thus, air-conditioning can be a cause of discomfort and could affect people’s health.