Well, its June. Its officially hot in NYC – & like many other New Yorkers, I found myself scouring the internet for Air Conditioners. See, here in the jungle – air conditioning is considered a luxury, and if your building doesn’t offer air conditioning (very common) you need to buy one.
As I did a quick google search, I thought I’d found the perfect one – until I read a strange warning at the end of a very long description (that I doubt most people take the time to read)
“WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. www.p65warnings.ca.gov”
“Cancer and what?!” I thought to myself. What in the entire fuck could be in an air conditioner that has the potential to do such harm?! Apparently exposing yourself to high levels of Benzene can really do a number to your body. To be fair, most of the articles written on the link between air conditioners and cancer specifically are referring to car air conditioners, not household. But I surprisingly saw more articles written about how much “we shouldn’t worry about it”. (Go figure) But obviously, this must apply to all if the warning is there? Needless to say, I opted for a fan.
Now, cancer is a very extreme disease that can come from air conditioners and it probably won’t affect you in this way – Air Conditioners are definitely affecting your overall health via filter contamination.
“Air contamination can become a severe problem that contributes to respiratory ailments in people. Additionally, air conditioning at work and home can lead to problems, such as colds, fevers, headaches and fatigue.” – www.airoasis.com
Causes
It also causes, Lethargy, Dehydration, Headaches, Respiratory Issues, Infectious diseases, trigger allergies and asthma, Dry or Itchy Skin and an inability to deal with heat.
My mother hated the air conditioner. Every year it was “Summer is supposed to be hot, Najah!” as I’d beg her that its hot enough to turn it on.
I think I’m becoming my Mom.
How do you guys feel about Air Conditioners?