In winter, the dry air in the room makes many people feel uncomfortable, so the small and portable humidifier has become the unanimous choice of many families. For a long time, it has been widely used in dry air-conditioned rooms, believing that it can moisturize the human body** and respiratory tract.
But recently, a Ms. Huang in Hubei suffered from "Aspergillus pneumonia" because of the use of a humidifier, which once again aroused widespread attention from netizens. In recent years, there have been endless reports of this kind on the Internet, and it is rumored on the Internet that the use of humidifiers will cause mold growth, which can easily cause respiratory diseases and even cause "humidifier pneumonia".
So, does using a humidifier really cause pneumonia?How to use the humidifier correctly?The reporter interviewed relevant experts on relevant issues.
What is "humidifier pneumonia"?
More than a month ago, Ms. Huang suddenly developed persistent chest tightness, wheezing, and severe cough. Since the effect of taking medicine was not obvious, she came to the hospital for treatment. Examination revealed thickened lung markings and mildly impaired lung ventilation.
I didn't have lung disease before, I didn't be exposed to dust at work, and my family didn't smoke, so how could my lung function be impaired?Ms. Huang was puzzled by this. In the subsequent communication, she told the doctor that in order to alleviate the dryness, she frequently used humidifiers in the office and at home after autumn, and sometimes added lemon juice and disinfectant, hoping to play a role in sterilization and disinfection.
After further investigation, the doctor finally determined that the negligent humidifier was an important "culprit" that caused Ms. Huang's illness.
Similar to Ms. Huang, due to improper use of humidifiers, respiratory tract infection and inflammation, nasal congestion, cough, phlegm, wheezing, fever and other symptoms, people are used to calling it 'humidifier pneumonia', but in medicine, this is fungal pneumonia. Zhang Xiangmin, director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Handan Second Hospital, said that although the disease was caused by the use of humidifiers, the culprit was not the humidifier itself, mainly due to improper use of humidifiers.
Take the most common ultrasonic humidifiers, for example, the basic principle of these humidifiers is to rely on ultrasonic nebulizers to 'beat' the water into small droplets, and then blow them into the indoor air. Zhang Xiangmin said frankly that if the water used or the indoor environment contains impurities or bacteria, it may follow the water mist into the air, and once inhaled, it may lead to some allergic lesions, thereby causing cough and chest tightness.
In addition, many people often forget to clean this important part when using humidifiers. Zhang Xiangmin introduced that if the humidifier does not change the water for a long time and lacks cleaning, it is easy to breed mold, and at this time, the water mist carrying mold is sprayed in the air and inhaled by the human body, which will also lead to a decrease in respiratory resistance and can easily induce pneumonia.
Do not add "ingredients" casually
In the autumn and winter of this year, the flu is frequent, and many citizens are trying to get some miraculous effects by adding some extra "ingredients" to the humidifier in addition to using the humidifier.
Recently, Ms. Li, who lives in Fuxing District, had a cough and heard that orange peel has the effect of relieving cough and reducing phlegm, so she had a whim and added a lot of fresh orange peel to the humidifier.
Not long after she fell asleep, she felt tightness in her chest, shortness of breath, and sore throat. Ms. Li rushed to the hospital for treatment, and after a detailed examination and examination, the doctor judged that she did not have an ordinary cough, but an improper use of a humidifier that caused her asthma.
Nowadays, when you open a shopping app and search for a humidifier, you will find a lot of related entries such as "essential oil aromatherapy", "lemon juice" and "fungicide". Searching on major platforms on the Internet, it was found that many netizens also shared the "wonderful use" of the humidifier "feeding": adding a pack of banlan root to the water tank can prevent colds;Add a paper cup of edible vinegar to sterilize;Adding a pinch of salt can also soothe the ...... of pharyngitisEven on a whim, he came up with the idea of adding disinfectant, which can prevent the growth of microorganisms and bacteria in the tank.
So in fact, can adding different substances to a humidifier really make it more healthy?Zhang Xiangmin said that this move is not only not beneficial to the body, but harmful.
Some people on the Internet recommend that you add banlan root, alcohol, vinegar, etc. to the humidifier, in fact, these things have no effect, and they are particularly unhygienic, if they are not clean, they are easy to breed bacteria, and then circulate into the air to be absorbed by the human body, which is easy to cause infection. Zhang Xiangmin explained that these substances either have a strong smell or contain various chemicals, which are sprayed into the air after atomization treatment, which will not only cause damage to the body's respiratory tract, lungs and other organs, but also may cause other diseases such as allergies.
Especially for children, pregnant women and other groups with poor resistance, it increases the probability of disease. Zhang Xiangmin suggested that the daily use of humidifiers does not need to add any additives, and it is best to keep the original ecology.
Humidifier use is contraindicated
However, Zhang Xiangmin also said that clinically due to improper use of humidifiers, cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis are rare, and we don't have to waste food due to choking, but we must use it scientifically. To this end, he advises that, in addition to not blindly adding things to the humidifier, there are a few things to keep in mind when using a humidifier:
Moderate humidification: It is best not to leave the humidifier open for a long time, and it should be adjusted appropriately according to the climate, such as turning it off for a period of time after two hours, and properly opening the window for ventilation, and be sure to pay attention to the indoor air humidity not to be too large. In fact, the comfortable humidity of the human body is generally 40% to 60%, and people with too high humidity will be uncomfortable, and it will also bring health risks.
Pay attention to water quality: Tap water contains a lot of minerals, which can easily form particulate matter in water vapor, which may cause damage to the lungs when it enters the respiratory tract. At the same time, tap water is easy to breed bacteria, and harmful microorganisms enter the human respiratory tract after being atomized by a humidifier, which will cause a series of respiratory diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to put soft water with low hardness, such as purified water, or boiled water, and wait for it to cool before using it.
Regular cleaning: Change the water in the humidifier before using it every day, and at the same time, you can clean the atomizer tablets regularly (such as 2-3 days), and it is best to disinfect and dry them according to the material of the utensils, otherwise it is easy to breed bacteria or fungi. In addition, it is necessary to replace the filter element of the humidifier regularly, and if it is an old humidifier, the minerals deposited in it cannot be completely cleaned, you should consider replacing it with a new one.
Reasonable placement: The humidifier should be placed on a stable plane about 1 meter high, away from heat sources, corrosion, etc., and avoid direct sunlight. There may be a certain amount of electromagnetic radiation in the work of the humidifier, and the human body should keep a certain distance from it, and the radiation of the ultrasonic humidifier is very large, so pregnant women should try to use it less or not use it.
In addition, Zhang Xiangmin also suggested that if the public does not want to use the humidifier but feels dry, they can hang a towel near the heater that is screwed until it does not drip water, as long as the evaporation is increased, the humidity of the air can also be improved.
Handan News Media Center reporter Xue Yalan.