Poor gym air quality could be making you sick!

Ever walked into a modern, clean looking gym, only to be hit by the smell?

Odours not only come from hot bodies, but also from equipment and air conditioners. This applies to school halls, home gyms and holiday resort fitness areas as well.

If your gym’s air conditioning system has not been properly cleaned or is not functioning properly, it can make the environment hot and humid. This happens because the system does not remove enough moisture from the air and this often happens when the filters and coils are clogged with dirt and contaminants.

Unmaintained air conditioners can create some pretty nasty conditions:

• Hot and humid air will become breeding ground for growth of mould
• Humid air can create musty smells
• Air Conditioning system breakdown
• Bacteria and viruses thrive in humid air
• There can be pollen build up
• Higher energy bills

Air conditioners can also harbour other nasties, such as dead animals, animal faeces, live animals and dust mites. The contaminants from these can be blown into the air you breathe and we all end up breathing quite deeply during a workout.

A study published in the journal Building and Environment reported that Portuguese and Dutch researchers put air-quality monitors in 11 gyms’ weight rooms and exercise studios when they were most crowded and found levels of airborne dust, contaminants, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide exceeded most accepted standards for indoor air quality.

There is not widespread air quality testing in fitness centres, resorts or schools, but there is one study (from Malaysia, which has a similar climate to Queensland) showing that mould contamination was common in schools there, and it was associated with adverse respiratory symptoms.

Mould is the most common contaminant in gyms because they are full of moist air. The swimming pool area, the sauna, the showers are in use all day long, the windows steamed up with sweaty air; all of them provide enough humidity for indoor mould to take hold and begin producing mould toxins.

Why not ask the question? When were the air conditioners last replaced in your gym, home, resort, sports club or school?

Plumbspec supply and install all types of air conditioners.

Contact us today on 0417 555 325 or pass our phone number onto your gym manager. Click Here for more information about PlumbSpec.

HydroKleen are the ONLY Air Conditioning Cleaning company exclusively approved by the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice Program and we provide a written 12 month guarantee against Mould regrowth.

Click Here for more information about Hydrokleen.