More people are risking health problems by staying in the office
longer or taking part in indoor activities to avoid the summer
heat, a health official has said.
Poorly cleaned air conditioners have been found to be a major
cause of health problems for most Chinese people, he said.
Dai Changfang, director of the public health department of the
Guangdong center for disease control and prevention (CDC), said
yesterday that ever since a recent national inspection found that
more than 99 percent of central air-conditioning units are not
cleaned regularly, the Guangdong CDC has been applying for approval
from the State CDC to conduct a province-wide inspection and
cleaning campaign.
Dai said he did not know how many central air-conditioning units
were in Guangdong, but the number was likely close to
that of Beijing and Shanghai.
The national inspection found there are about 5 million central
air-conditioning units. Only 100 in Beijing and 200 in Shanghai are
regularly cleaned.
"Dirty central air conditioners contain a lot of viruses. Some
people have even found dead mice in them," Dai said.
He said Guangdong has never conducted a province-wide inspection
to date, since it needs approval from the State CDC. Applicants are
required to have proper equipment and qualified staff.
"We certainly hope to gain approval as soon as possible," Dai
said.
Up to now, only the CDCs of Shanghai, Jiangsu and Tianjin have
been approved.
"As soon as we get the nod, we will send staff to inspect and
clean central air-conditioning units throughout the province, as
well as commission eligible private cleaning companies to do the
job," Dai said.
The Guangdong CDC, in the meantime, has conducted spot-checks on
33 public buildings which installed central air-conditioning units
last month, 42 percent were found to contain legionella.
Legionella is a dangerous virus spread through the ventilation
systems of air conditioners. People who contract the virus, suffer
from fever, chest pains and experience difficulty breathing. The
death rate from the virus is more than 30 percent.
"Office workers constitute the majority of the victims as they
spend many more hours a day indoors than other people," Dai
said.
Du Ping, an office worker in Guangzhou, suffers from rhinitis.
She said she often sneezes and coughs while at work. She suspects
the central air-conditioning unit in her office is to blame.
China Central Television's program Weekly Quality Report
recently revealed that more than 40 national-level athletes, some
of whom are world champions, were hit by flu at the beginning of
the year while working out in gymnasiums.
An investigation found the central air-conditioning units were
the cause of the virus.
(China Daily May 23, 2007)