The article received tens of thousands of likes, comments and shares - Photo: Screenshot
The article quickly attracted attention, because it hit the psychology of many people who have the habit of using closed air conditioners.
Lack of oxygen because of air conditioning and closed doors?
A post shared on social media received more than 70,000 likes in 2 days, with tens of thousands of comments and shares about the mistake of using air conditioning with the door closed.
Account D.HV shared on his personal page with a warning: Air conditioning doesn't kill anyone - but ignorance does!
According to this account, he often uses air conditioning and closes the doors, which often causes him to wake up feeling exhausted, with a splitting headache and a rapid heartbeat.
He then bought a CO2 meter for the room, and the result was that the CO2 index was up to 2,000 ppm - while the safe level is just under 700 ppm.
He believes that long-term high CO2 concentrations can cause fatigue, reduce alertness, and affect sleep quality. If prolonged in an unventilated environment, it can affect overall health, especially for young children and the elderly...
This person also cited personal experience of doing hair for 13 years, meeting more than 20,000 customers, from businessmen to housewives, from babies to old men. Some people have hair loss, fatigue, stress, prolonged insomnia... thinking it is due to hormones, age. But when asked carefully, they found out that every night they sleep with the air conditioner closed.
The article quickly received many mixed comments. This is also the concern of many people when in the hot days, many houses often have to use air conditioning.
Is it true that closing doors and turning on the air conditioner is harmful to health?
Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online about this issue, Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang - Vietnam - Russia High Pressure Oxygen Center, Ministry of National Defense - said that using air conditioning and closing doors for many hours can have negative effects on health. However, not to the extent as shared on social networks.
From a scientific perspective, it is necessary to have a more objective and accurate view to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and confusion.
Explaining about CO2 gas in the bedroom, Dr. Hoang said that air conditioners only cool, do not consume oxygen or produce CO2 .
CO₂ is exhaled by humans during respiration. In a closed room, CO 2 exhaled by humans will gradually accumulate over time if there is no ventilation.
The rate of CO 2 accumulation depends on the number of people, the area of the room and the duration of sleep. An adult releases about 120-160 liters of CO 2 in 8 hours of sleep in a 20m² room (volume ~60m³). The amount of CO 2 increases proportionally to the number of people in the room.
In addition, CO2 can be produced when using gas stoves and fireplaces, but is rare in modern bedrooms using air conditioning.
Regarding the operating mechanism of air conditioners, Dr. Hoang clearly stated that air conditioners suck air from the room, cool it through the evaporator, and blow it back into the room, not taking in fresh air from the outside (or very limited), leading to not removing CO2 from the breath.
Therefore, closing doors to save energy reduces natural ventilation, causing CO2 to accumulate faster.
Many people mistakenly think that air conditioning "cleans" the air, but in fact it only regulates temperature and humidity, not CO2 or other air pollutants.
How much CO₂ accumulation is dangerous?
Dr. Hoang cited research from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) showing that CO2 < 750 ppm does not affect sleep. At 750-1150 ppm, insufficient ventilation and sleep begin to be affected.
Levels of 1,150 ppm reduce sleep quality. When CO 2 reaches 2,600 ppm, it will severely affect sleep and cognitive performance.
According to a study in Singapore, closed bedrooms using dual-unit air conditioners had CO2 levels exceeding 1,000 ppm, usually reaching 1,500-1,900 ppm.
Besides, there is currently no scientific evidence to show that CO2 concentrations of about 5,000 ppm in the air cause hair loss and are not life-threatening or suffocating.
According to Dr. Hoang, there is no need to stop using air conditioning, but ventilation must be combined to control CO2 .
Solutions such as opening windows, using ventilation fans, choosing fresh air conditioning, monitoring CO2 and maintaining optimal humidity are practical and effective.
Users can apply some measures such as opening the window slightly, or turning on the fan every 1-2 hours when using air conditioning.
Invest in an air conditioner with fresh air or a CO2 meter ( NDIR sensor). Clean the air conditioner every 6 months, use an air purifier if necessary. Maintain humidity at 40-60%...
WILLOW
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dong-cua-bat-dieu-hoa-gay-thieu-oxy-met-moi-dau-dau-2025051709593802.htm
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