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On a hot, sweaty day, many of us turn to our car AC to give us that much-needed coolness. What some of us don’t know is that our car’s AC systems can make us sick. Some studies have been stating how car AC’s are breeding grounds for fungi.
This could potentially be the reason why you’re feeling sick, especially if you are using your car AC a fair bit.
In this article were going to have a look at how exactly car ACs are making people sick the world over.
We will look into symptoms you could be experiencing, how ACs are causing these symptoms, and how to prevent getting sick from car AC.
Is My Car AC Making Me Sick? Symptoms To Look Out For
Most of us probably aren’t aware that we can get sick from our car ACs. As this is the case, we may not know what symptoms to look out for. It turns out that there are quite a few symptoms that you could be experiencing that are directly related to your car AC.
Firstly have you noticed that when you spend more time in your car, AC that you’re experiencing shortness of breath? Or should you have asthma, you could be getting more asthma attacks.
Breathing problems are one of the first symptoms associated with car ACs and illness. Other symptoms related to car AC’s and illness include runny nose, sneezing, headaches, and itchy eyes.
Car ACs are breeding grounds for fungus and bacteria. You are practically breathing in these spores that are being blasted out of your aircon air vents every time you turn on the car’s AC. It’s important to realize that your car AC could be what’s causing you to feel ill.
How Your Ac Is Making You Sick
A car’s aircon system houses various bacterial strains. It’s not something we often consider as it’s not widely known that a car’s AC can make a person quite sick.
Scientists have recently discovered that many bugs and bacteria thrive in a car’s air conditioner.
Some of these bacteria strains are incredibly harmful and can cause urinary tract infections, septic arthritis, and even meningitis. In truth, car AC sickness has become so relevant that there is even a name for it now, “sick car syndrome“.
On average, a car has 1.6 different types of bacteria strains that you can find in a car’s air conditioner. So how exactly are we exposing ourselves to this bacteria? What happens is air carrying bacteria will travel from the aircon system and pass through the evaporator.
Bacteria will then travel into the car cabin area. Any mold developed in your car’s AC will then be airborne, and you will breathe it in. If you have a weakened immune system, this could be extremely detrimental to your health. This mold could cause you to develop a case of infectious pneumonia.
However, we should note that this is pretty rare. Many of us can, however, experience minor respiratory conditions.
Why Is This Important?
It is becoming imperative to know that your car AC could be making you sick. You could find yourself visiting the doctor more and not knowing why. It could be due to the mold and bacteria you are breathing in while you drive.
Identifying your car AC is making you sick can save you time and money in doctors’ bills. You can also then figure out the next steps to prevent yourself from getting sick when using your AC. Let’s face it; a car AC makes our lives easier.
This is especially true during the summer months, so finding out how to use it hygienically would be a benefit.
How To Prevent A Car AC From Making You Sick
Firstly pay attention to any odd smells. This could indicate that you have a build-up of mold and bacteria growing in your car AC unit. Secondly, you should service your car AC unit every two years. By servicing your car AC, you will be able to identify if your car’s aircon unit has developed mold.
When you take your vehicle to be re-gassed or serviced, the aircon technician should do a bacterial cleanse. Remember always to ask whoever is servicing your car AC to destroy any apparent mold and bacteria.
Additionally, you can get an aircon shop to spray an antifungal coating. However, this is not guaranteed to last forever, so you may need to do the coating now and then.
Should you prefer to do DIY fixes, you can buy an aerosol treatment for your car AC. You would need to start your car, turn on the car’s AC, and keep them running once you have placed the aerosol treatment in the closed car.
This AC treatment will work similarly to how fumigations work. This method isn’t guaranteed to work with all vehicles. So you would have to go by trial and error to see what works best for you and your car AC.
Most times, prevention is better than a cure. When you drive next, switch off your aircon upon reaching your destination, but don’t switch off the blower; keep the blower running for a few minutes.
By doing this, you effectively keep the AC system dry and create an unfriendly environment for fungal growth. If you continue to do this each time you drive and use your AC unit, you will be preventing bacteria and mold from growing in the system.
Why Is This Important?
You must clean your car AC unit periodically. By doing this, you are preventing your car AC from making you sick.
Final Words
To conclude, a car AC can make you sick. By identifying if you have any symptoms related to the ones you can get from car ACs, you can then take steps to fix the problem and prevent the car AC from making you sick in the future.
James has been a car enthusiast since his childhood when he learned the differences between a ford and a chevy from his father. He loves to drive and restore old cars with a special drive for Italian marvels. Currently, he has a 1968 Alfa Romeo. He has studied aeronautics and civil aviation in his college and still gets smitten by Galant SS and Lancer GSR.
He is a New York-based product training director working with a giant automotive retailer. He loves to review and uncover the vehicles and their fascinating stories. He believes in keeping it legitimate with a keen passion for research on the latest technological upgrades in cars. While reading his articles or blogs, you can sense the extensive research and dedication backing the piece of text. He loves fried chicken, music, and spending quality time with his pet dog.
