Air Conditioners, How to Use Them Safely in Times of Pandemics
A Guide to the correct use of ventilation and air conditioning systems during the current health emergency. It is supplied by AREA , the European Association representing 26 national associations of refrigeration technicians, and over 110,000 associates, and ATF , the Italian association of refrigeration technicians.
AREA and ATF wanted to deny the rumor according to which ventilation and air conditioning systems would help spread the COVID-19 virus inside the rooms, an element never proven by any scientific study.
The main transmission vehicle of the virus – they recall – remains the respiratory droplets, mainly through direct contact, and secondarily through the infected surfaces: the aeration and ventilation systems can, on the other hand, not only favor the exchange of air inside the environments , limiting the possibility of contagion by dispersing any concentrations of infected particles in the environment, but, with the arrival of summer, they will help to reduce the effects of thermal stress , which makes various categories at risk much more prone to possible infections.
One of the fundamental recommendations that AREA and ATF have indicated is to rely only on duly trained and qualified personnel to sanitize and maintain the air conditioning systems.
The goal is to provide both technicians and end users with a picture of the situation free from excessive alarmism, but which at the same time guarantees to those who use ventilation and air conditioning systems, a series of advice on how to operate safely .
Many of the measures indicated in the document are standard practices of good use , which should be adopted and followed even in conditions of normal use.
