High humidity can exacerbate allergies and asthma because it promotes the growth of mold, dust mites, and bacteria.
However, with the indirect effects, you may be unaware of the toll they are taking on your body for a while. High indoor humidity can change the indoor environment of your home or workplace, making it easy for you to become ill, especially with respiratory infections. Bacteria and viruses thrive in humid conditions.
Humidity can also impact sleep in indirect ways. Excessive dampness may aggravate asthma symptoms, and can also lead to bronchitis, respiratory infections, and other breathing problems that can cause sleep disruptions. Allergens that trigger adverse reactions from sleepers are another concern.
High levels of moisture in the air can trigger bronchoconstriction, or the narrowing of airways, in people with asthma. This leads to a flare-up in asthma symptoms, like coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
High humidity can make your home feel stuffy. It also can cause condensation, which is when water vapor in the air turns liquid. Droplets may form on walls, floors and other surfaces. Condensation can trigger the growth of harmful bacteria, dust mites and molds.
Mold growing on interior surfaces (corner of a closet, kitchen or bathroom). Peeling, cracking or blistering paint on exterior or interior finishes. Dust allergies (caused by dust mites).
Under appropriate exposure conditions susceptible individuals may succumb to an episode of humidifier fever, an influenza-like illness with pyrexia and malaise as the main symptoms, but cough, chest tightness, dyspnoea and weight loss may also be seen.
High humidity can exacerbate allergies and asthma because it promotes the growth of mold, dust mites, and bacteria. Excess humidity can damage your home. It can cause wood to warp, paint to peel, and walls to develop mold. Not to mention, it can make your home smell musty and unpleasant.
Spending time in an environment with too much humidity can actually make you sick, especially from respiratory infections. The bacteria and viruses that cause illness thrive and grow in air that's above 60 percent relative humidity.
Raise the temperature of cold surfaces where moisture condenses. Use insulation or storm windows. (A storm window installed on the inside works better than one installed on the outside.) Open doors between rooms (especially doors to closets which may be colder than the rooms) to increase circulation.
The most common signs of structural damage due to high humidity include chipping paint or wood rot on window frames, wet walls resulting from condensation build-up, cracking floors, and plaster walls due to expansion and contraction caused by fluctuating temperatures between day and night as well as summer and winter ...
Exposure to a damp bedroom environment can precipitate health risks including allergies, asthma exacerbations, respiratory problems, and a heightened risk of infections in the airways. Dealing with issues related to dampness and mould is crucial for averting these possible adverse health effects.
How Does Your Air Conditioner Reduce the Humidity in Your Home? Air conditioners reduce the humidity in the air in your home through its regular processing to cool the air. Refrigerant pumps through the evaporator coils making the temperature of the coils drop below the dew point.
Repeated or prolonged exposure to high levels of some VOCs can cause blurred vision, headaches, nausea, dizziness, coughing, burning eyes, respiratory irritation, skin rashes, respiratory illness, concentration difficulties, and other symptoms.
High moisture levels and mould are associated with health problems including asthma, eczema and headaches. With good design, maintenance, ventilation (including venting cooking vapours, bathroom steam and clothes dryers outside), heating and insulation, you can keep your home drier and healthier.
Signs that you may be suffering from moisture overload are if your hair feels excessively soft and mushy, if you're noticing that your curl pattern is looser, or if your hair strands stretch but don't revert or bounce back. It can also lead to excessive split ends, limp or dull hair, a lack of volume, and more.
Humidity above 50% may invite bacteria, fungi, and other germs. And water starts to condense on windows and other home surfaces around 60%. Plus, the humidifier itself can grow mold and bacteria that blow into the air unless you clean and dry it daily.
If water vapour has nowhere to go, it will condense your windows, as well as your furniture, in carpets, and on walls. Excess moisture around the house can be very damaging to your home and to your family's health.
A moisture meter reading above 16% is generally considered damp, with higher readings posing greater risks. For plaster walls, readings over 20% may indicate significant water ingress, often caused by leaking pipes or external wall defects.
Indoor dampness and mold result from water leaks in buildings. Exposures in damp buildings are complex. They vary from building to building and in different places within a building. Dampness and mold are associated with various respiratory and non-respiratory health problems in workers.
Increased humidity may ease breathing in children and adults who have asthma or allergies, especially during a respiratory infection such as a cold. But mist from a dirty humidifier or increased growth of allergens caused by high humidity can trigger or worsen asthma and allergy symptoms.
Cons of Dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers collect water meaning they need to be regularly emptied. They also need to be regularly cleaned otherwise black mould can start to grow on the machine , which can induce a wide range of health problems including allergic reactions, lung problems and irritation.