Home Blog Health and wellness in Thailand

Ever got sick from a Hotel stay?

Main image above: Aspergillus mould.

What lurks in the Air con?

Ever wondered why you get a cold or a fever when staying in some hotels? Well the truth may just frighten you to running outside and getting some fresh air!

We all work and live in air conditioned environments, it has made life bearable and business fruitful here in South East Asia for the last 75 years, but each day we all very much take for granted the very air we breathe in for many hours a day, and what it can be doing to our health and vitality.

What is meant by indoor air quality?

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the air we breathe in indoors is frequently more seriously polluted than outdoor air. When you take into consideration that many of us spend up to 90 per cent of our time inside or in vehicles, this becomes a very important health factor for us all.

For our general health, energy levels and vitality; humans require a comfortable indoor temperature with the air free from dust, irritants, pathogens, unpleasant odours, mould, fungus, bacteria, mildew and other contaminants. Many factors affect indoor air quality (IAQ) in condos, hotels and office buildings these include:

Levels of outdoor pollution, caused for example by traffic pollution and, pesticides finding their way in through AC systems.
Sources of indoor pollution including the materials used in the fabric of buildings, carpets, curtains, smoking, cleaning chemicals and the use of perfumes and salon related products.
The rate of exchange between indoor and outdoor air, i.e. ventilation rates and distribution.
The amount of moisture in the indoor environment, which is considerably increased in tropical humid climates, near kitchens and if the hotel has a gym, spa or indoor swimming pool. In serious cases this can lead to the growth of mould and mildew which has serious health implications

AC Maintainence Bangkok

Common indoor air pollutants

Pollutant	Sources	Health effects
Ammonia	Cleaning products	Irritates eye and mucous membranes
Bacteria	Legionella, moulds and fungi and mildew	Potentially fatal in the case of Legionnaires Disease. General worsening of respiratory complaints
Carbon dioxide (CO2)	Respiration, combustion	Feelings of stuffiness, drowsiness
Dust and particles	Carpets, surfaces, smoking	A range of allergic symptoms depending on size and nature of particles
Formaldehyde	Foam insulation, fabrics, furniture, fire retardants, adhesives, carpet backing, cigarette smoke	Can irritate eyes, skin and mucous membranes and cause headaches and asthma
Carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)	Leaking combustion devices (boilers, cookers)	Worsening of respiratory complaints
Odours	Cooking, smoking, perfume etc.	Annoyance, stress and allergic reactions
Viruses, infectious diseases	Humans and animals, e.g. SARS and Bird Flu	Wide-ranging
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)	Solvents, aerosol sprays, cosmetics dry-cleaning, paints, pesticides, smoking	Wide-ranging – including eye, skin and mucous membrane irritation

Why is IAQ important?

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is vital in any living and working environment for the following reasons:

It is the Manager, Owner, or Team leader’s moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety of staff, guests and customers at all times. This includes, for example, the safe functioning, adequate air-conditioning ventilation system and effective maintenance of boilers and heating systems to avoid creating toxic fumes such as carbon monoxide.

Hotel and all staff are responsible to protect your health from:

Legionnaire’s disease – this is the worst, rare, however potentially deadly form of pneumonia that is contracted through the inhalation of droplets of contaminated water transmitted in the form of spray. The risks are associated with poor maintenance of air-conditioning systems and showering facilities. Legionella bacteria is unlikely to be detected by staff or guests until someone falls seriously ill or dies. Not only are Hotels and any businesses providing AC that are found responsible for incubating Legionnaires disease liable for massive fines and often immediate closure of business.
Certain moulds such as the toxic Stachybotrus chartarum and Microbial Aspergillus thrive in damp and humid conditions. These kind of moulds are particularly problematic for sufferers of chronic lung diseases such as asthma. People with immunity issues are also at risk of infection from moulds.
Allergies can be made much worse by un-serviced dirty air-conditioning units, dust mites or materials to which they are allergic to in guest bedrooms or office environments.

Benefits of Clean air:

Guest retention; One of the things guests will not often complain about, but will affect their decision to return to a hotel is whether they got sick from staying at a hotel or not, have you ever been asked on a hotel feedback form?:

How was the air in your room?

The premise of clean air stretches also to condominium and apartment owners who have long term residents.

Staff productivity; Imagine a rude Chamber Maid or colleague, perhaps they are feeling as ill as you are in the air environment. Dirty Air can cause headaches, tiredness, dry or sore eyes or throat, skin irritation, dizziness and even nausea. Sick Building Syndrome is not the result of over active imagination of staff, but a real recognized problem in any business and it’s mostly down to poor air quality.

By making sure your air quality is of a recognized standard, you can improve productivity, staff morale and the bottom line with happier guests who will more likely return. Consider cost savings of staff who don’t take maximum days off with respiratory illnesses. It’s not hard to understand that reducing operating costs by reducing energy consumption (and your carbon dioxide emissions) through investment in modern, efficient air-conditioning equipment and proper maintenance you are not only safeguarding people’s lives , you are saving a vast amount of money too.

The AerisGuard™ Hygiene Solutions clean and protect air-conditioning systems from commonly occurring bacterial, mould and fungus contamination problems. Air-conditioning systems protected by AerisGuard™ provide significant asset management benefits, equipment efficiency and human health. If you are a hotel owner or have staff or residents in any kind of air-conditioned environment.

Contact: http://www.aess.solutions today for a look at your systems before it’s too late