---Excerpt from "China Consumer News"|Text / Sang Sangwen
According to HC Network Appliance Industry Channel August 16, 2004, the central air conditioning system dominates the air metabolism in buildings, if the central air conditioning is in poor sanitary condition Not only will it affect the health of people entering and leaving these places, but it will also lead to infection and poisoning. However, according to the supervision and inspection of the sanitary conditions of the central air-conditioning ventilation system in public places organized by the Ministry of Health, the pass rate is only 6.2%, and the maximum dust accumulation in the ventilation ducts is 486 grams per square meter, which is 486 times of the national standard. Following the “Emergency Notice on Strengthening the Health Supervision and Management of Central Air-Conditioning Ventilation Systems in Public Places” issued by the Health Supervision Office of the Shandong Provincial Health Department, the Guangzhou Municipal Public Places Centralized Air-Conditioning System Management and Cleaning and Disinfection Seminar was held recently. The relevant departments of the city are preparing to issue the first "cleaning order" for air conditioning in public places in the country.

●The "lung" in public places is not healthy

According to experts from the China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute, central air conditioners generally use coarse filters, which can only filter out up to 40% of the air. Inhalation of particulate matter, more than half of the inhalable particulate matter enters the central air conditioning system. On the one hand, these inhalable particulate matter may become a carrier of the virus, causing the virus to flow through the air-conditioning duct, thus causing cross-infection. On the other hand, small particles of respirable particles are connected to each other to form large dust, accumulating the bottom and corners of the vent pipe system, which accumulate microorganisms over time.

A survey by the China National Standards Institute showed that the national indoor air quality is not optimistic, and nearly 68% of the diseases are caused by indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution is 5-10 times higher than outdoor, and there are many harmful substances in indoor air, of which the most inhalable particles are most serious. According to reports, a high-rise building in Shanghai cleaned a large number of dead mice and various insect carcasses while cleaning the central air-conditioning, and cleared two tons of garbage in the air-conditioning pipe. The health supervision and inspection of the central air-conditioning ventilation system in public places in the public places carried out by the Ministry of Health this year has made people more worried about the health of the “lung” department in public places.

According to statistics from relevant US departments, the damage caused by indoor air pollution is about 100 billion US dollars per year, and the labor loss is 3%. Air-conditioning systems with large amounts of dirt can also waste more than one-fold of electricity, while ventilation is reduced to one-fifth. Researcher Yan Junhui of the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences believes that air-conditioning ducts not only deposit a lot of dirt, but also produce more than 100 kinds of harmful health bacteria, molds, etc. Regular removal of these dirt is a key factor to improve air quality.

● Why is central air conditioning lacking maintenance

"We actually want to ask people to wash, it is too expensive." Some supermarkets said it is difficult to withstand higher cleaning costs.

According to Mr. Wang, the general manager of a company that launched the central air-conditioning cleaning business in Beijing after SARS last year, at present, the cleaning company’s cleaning fees for central air-conditioning are mainly According to the drawings, the area of the air duct deployment is calculated, ranging from 32 yuan to 45 yuan per square meter. In this way, the cleaning fee for a large hotel needs more than tens of thousands. And this cost is often not within the company's financial budget, so the company's business is also difficult.

Another reason for the poor health of the "lung" department in public places is the lack of a professional cleaning team. It is understood that there are only over 50 companies that can provide professional air-conditioning cleaning and disinfection in the country, and most of these companies are concentrated in large cities. The air conditioning, especially the central air conditioning system, the refrigeration equipment and the duct passage structure are complex, the technical and professional requirements are high, and the advanced testing equipment must be provided. Therefore, please consult the general cleaning company and personnel for cleaning and disinfection. It does not solve the problem. Therefore, experts believe that it is necessary to establish a highly skilled and advanced equipment for supervision, inspection and cleaning.

● Mandatory regulations can protect the health of the "lung" department in public places

The Deputy Director of the Public Health Section of the Public Health Department of the Beijing Municipal Health Inspection Institute said that the ventilation ducts of the 75 million family homes in the United States and the 4.5 million public and commercial buildings The central air-conditioning ducts in the building need to be cleaned regularly in cycles of 1 to 10 months. The huge market determines that the United States has always been a world leader in the production and supply of related equipment, and the industry management is also quite sound.

In China, the current domestic regulations and measures for cleaning air conditioners in public places are only the public places concentrated and promulgated by the Ministry of Health on September 19 last year. Hygienic Specifications for Air Conditioning Ventilation Systems. The specification sets standards for the inspection of air-conditioning systems in public places, and stipulates that the public places should regularly replace or clean the filter nets and cooling towers of the air-conditioning ventilation system. However, the penalty for not implementing the above provisions is not covered. The "norm" is different from the regulations, and it is difficult to enforce it. Even if the relevant departments require the owners of public places to clean the air conditioners, they are only on paper, and there is no corresponding punishment procedure. Only in accordance with the "Sanitary Code for Centralized Air Conditioning and Ventilation Systems in Public Places", can formulate practical and feasible sanitary management methods to effectively implement the "healthy operation" of centralized air conditioners.

It is understood that the Health Supervision Office of the Shandong Provincial Health Department has issued the "Emergency Notice on Strengthening the Health Supervision and Management of Central Air Conditioning Ventilation Systems in Public Places": Units that have not been cleaned, disinfected, or have failed to pass the supervision and inspection by the health supervision agency shall not activate the centralized air conditioning ventilation system. If it is forcibly activated, it shall be investigated and punished according to law. The relevant departments of Guangzhou Municipality are also preparing to introduce the first "cleaning order" for air conditioning in public places in the country.