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Children

In children, home dampness and mould are associated with more respiratory infections and symptoms, according to recent meta-analyses. … and 2 more sourced claims.

Explanatory diagramTwo assessments with different roles
Two assessments with different roles
  1. The unit and indoor environment: technical inspection, moisture, deposits and maintenance.
  2. Symptoms and diagnosis: assessment by a medical professional.

A unit problem does not establish the cause of an illness. Maintenance does not replace medical care.

moderate evidenceIn children, home dampness and mould are associated with more respiratory infections and symptoms, according to recent meta-analyses.

A Paediatric Respiratory Reviews meta-analysis (2023) of studies in high-income countries found associations between residential mould/dampness and respiratory tract infections in children, and Fisk et al. (2010) estimated about 30–50% increases in bronchitis and respiratory infections in damp homes. The Espoo cohort (2025) tracked the effect up to age 27. Children breathe more air per kilogram and spend long hours in the bedroom, often with the unit on overnight. A clean split in a child's room is common sense; a mouldy one undoes every other effort for the room's air.

Sources (3)
moderate evidenceIn child-care centres, air conditioning (versus natural ventilation) was associated with 20–40% increases in cough and lower respiratory illness in children.

The LBNL summary cites Zuraimi et al. (2007) in Singapore child-care centres: air conditioning, relative to natural ventilation, was associated with statistically significant 20–40% increases in cough and lower respiratory illness. Likely explanations are reduced fresh-air ventilation and microbial contamination of wet components. For private kindergartens and after-schools in Bucharest, the practical conclusion is twofold: sanitise the units before the season and air the rooms regularly, because a split brings no fresh air.

Sources (1)
limited evidenceIn the European ECRHS study, homes with air conditioning showed roughly 30–40% more wheeze, breathlessness and current asthma.

The LBNL summary cites Zock et al. (2002), using data from the European ECRHS study, which found significant 30–40% increases in wheeze, breathlessness and current asthma in homes with air conditioning. The study is observational, so it does not prove causation, but it is consistent with the wet-component contamination mechanism. The message for parents is not 'get rid of the unit' – in a heatwave it protects health – but 'keep it clean and ventilate'.

Sources (1)

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