{"id":29443,"date":"2025-06-11T09:02:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T09:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=29443"},"modified":"2025-06-11T09:23:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T09:23:45","slug":"do-you-need-to-be-worried-about-mold-in-your-air-conditioner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=29443","title":{"rendered":"Do You Need to Be Worried About Mold in Your Air-Conditioner?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">They all have the potential for moldiness. Here\u2019s how to protect yourself.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Air-conditioners can save lives and keep us comfortable on blistering days. But they may also carry health risks \u2014 namely, those related to mold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">This was highlighted again last week, when the manufacturer Midea voluntarily <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/wirecutter\/reviews\/where-are-midea-u-air-conditioners\/\" title>recalled about 1.7 million air-conditioners<\/a> because of a design flaw that encouraged mold growth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While that flaw made mold growth more likely, any air-conditioner can get moldy, no matter how well designed it is. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risk.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-1u37br4 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-1eed999e\">Why do air-conditioners get moldy?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It\u2019s simple: moisture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Whether you have a window unit or central air, the basic process is the same. Air-conditioners work by repeatedly converting a refrigerant from gas into liquid, and back to gas. As the refrigerant evaporates, it absorbs heat from the air via a cold component called the evaporator coil. A fan blows over the coil, pushing cool air into the home, while hot air is pulled back outside and the refrigerant is condensed back into liquid to restart the process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As warm air cools, it produces condensation. Think of the way water droplets form on the outside of a glass when you pour cold water into it. In air-conditioners, a drain pan collects this water, and well-designed systems allow it to flow outside rather than remaining stagnant. But those systems can malfunction, or simply be imperfect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That means moisture may sit inside your air-conditioner for an extended time, leading to mold growth, said Mark Mendell, a former air pollution research specialist at the California Department of Public Health and former staff scientist and epidemiologist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-kbghgg\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fwell%2Fmold-air-conditioner.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fwell%2Fmold-air-conditioner.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fwell%2Fmold-air-conditioner.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F06%2F11%2Fwell%2Fmold-air-conditioner.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They all have the potential for moldiness. Here\u2019s how to protect yourself.Air-conditioners can save lives and keep us comfortable on blistering days. But they may also carry health risks \u2014 namely, those related to mold.This was highlighted again last week, when the manufacturer Midea voluntarily recalled about 1.7 million air-conditioners because of a design flaw that encouraged mold growth.While that flaw made mold growth more likely, any air-conditioner can get moldy, no matter how well designed it is. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risk.Why do air-conditioners get moldy?It\u2019s simple: moisture.Whether you have a window unit or central air, the basic process is the same. Air-conditioners work by repeatedly converting a refrigerant from gas into liquid, and back to gas. As the refrigerant evaporates, it absorbs heat from the air via a cold component called the evaporator coil. A fan blows over the coil, pushing cool air into the home, while hot air is pulled back outside and the refrigerant is condensed back into liquid to restart the process.As warm air cools, it produces condensation. Think of the way water droplets form on the outside of a glass when you pour cold water into it. In air-conditioners, a drain pan collects this water, and well-designed systems allow it to flow outside rather than remaining stagnant. But those systems can malfunction, or simply be imperfect.That means moisture may sit inside your air-conditioner for an extended time, leading to mold growth, said Mark Mendell, a former air pollution research specialist at the California Department of Public Health and former staff scientist and epidemiologist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29445,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29443"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29446,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29443\/revisions\/29446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}