Proper AC maintenance is key to healthful use, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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If you have any respiratory issues you likely benefit from air conditioning when the weather is hot. Lung health expert William Checkley at Johns Hopkins says you must be aware of the system’s maintenance requirements to reap its benefits.

Checkley: At least once a year get an AC repairman to come out and clean the ducts and the vents. Periodically you also want to make sure that they're operating correctly. If you don't replace the filters they kind of accumulate dust and they accumulate material overtime that can then play a role in harboring bacteria and fungi.   :19

Humidity is also a factor.

Checkley: if you overuse air conditioning and humidity drops to levels below 30 to 40% what will happen is you're basically dehydrating the body and dehydrating the respiratory tract so that just makes less effective filtering and helping you defend against irritants and infections.                 :20 

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.