|
|
re: winter humidification wastes energy
12 feb 2005
edwin pawlowski wrote:
>> we might explore a different myth. does anyone have any real non-anecdotal
>> evidence that low humidity actually causes health problems? do people who
>> live in arizona have more or fewer respiratory problems than the rest of us?
doctors used to advise tb patients to go live in arizona...
>my son is a respitory therapist and has his own home care business. i've
>worked for him on weekends. he has many incidences of problems from too dry
>air in the winter, mostly from older people.
that's more than "anecdotal..."
>...trouble with mucous linings of nasal pssages dryness that can cause nazal
>bleeding. none are life threatening, but many create a lot of discomfort.
http://www.who.int/ith/chapter02_01.html
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/burema/gesein/abhose/abhose_ce01.cfm
the sites above mention "discomfort" with low health risks. then again,
there are other remedies, eg skin ointments, mufflers and saline sprays.
many sites mention mold problems from higher humidity, and this one
http://www.webcom.com/~bi/formaldehyde.html
says raising the rh in a house from from 30 to 70%
can increase the formaldehyde level by 40%.
as to static, i found this
anti-static spray recipe
1/4 cup commercial liquid fabric softener
1/4 cup ammonia
2 cups water
mix ingredients and store in a spray bottle. spray liberally on the rug,
your shoes, chair, desktop, or file cabinet, but do not spray directly onto
your computer system.
salt water might work as well.
as to furniture cracking, my cabinetmaker friend bob goes to
great lengths to avoid cracks from humidity changes, by design.
i've seen local rh controls for pianos, guitars and violins.
>> swiss people open windows and crawl under thick quilts in unheated
>> bedrooms in wintertime because they believe that cold dry winter air is
>> healthier...
>
>the cold dry is not as dry as taking that same air and heating it 60 or 70
>degrees.
that doesn't change its moisture content.
nick
|
|
