[영어뉴스] 최종수정일 / 2008년 11월 04일 |
of the Rich Is Cold Illness
Today, the sales of cooling system equipment have increased to 9.4% at marts and department stores because of the stifling hot weather. As the use of air-conditioners has dramatically
shot up recently, there are lots of people who suffer more from colds than from the summer heat.
Student Sang-bin Lee(international tourism, freshman) is having a rough time currently because of the air-conditioners that operate continuously everywhere he goes--the school library, bus, cafe and even the bank where he stops for a
few minutes. “Just as if I had a cold, I have a runny nose all day long, suffer from headaches, and have to clear my
throat frequently. It is a good thing that many public places are trying to provide a comfortable environment to their
customers; however, I hope that they ease up on the air-conditioning setting given the current high oil prices," Mr. Lee said.
‘Cold illness' results from the body's failure to adapt to the difference in temperature between the inside of a room or
building and the outside. If our body is exposed to a difference in temperature between 5 to 8 degrees Celsius and
beyond for a long period, its internal biorhythm is broken and blockage in the blood circulation of main organs like the
brain and intestines may occur. Cold illness commonly arises after lengthy exposure at the mart, bank and factory
where the entrances and exits are few in number. In offices with big air conditioning towers especially, there is a high possibility of groups of people falling ill, being exposed to germs called legionella, which is the main cause of cold
sickness.
Susceptibility to colds, with symptoms such as stuffy nose, sore throat, obstructive phlegm in throat, is the condition
known as "air-conditioningitis." People who suffer from it also complain of headaches, vertigo, feelings of physical
helplessness and exhaustion as well as indigestion and lack of appetite. In the case of women, the disease can take
the form of dysmenorrhea.
Woo Seong-kyung, a internist at Hanmaum hospital in Kimhae, offers some suggestions for air-conditioningitis
patients to follow in the summer.
Set the room temperature at 25'C and ventilate at an interval of 1 or 2 hours to prevent air-conditioningitis. If you are
going to be exposed to a air-conditioned environment for a long time, wear long sleeves to maintain body
temperature. Go outside the air-conditioned room or building from time to time. Drink enough water to prevent
dehydration and this disease. If symptoms of the disease appear in spite of these efforts, medication can be taken.
July 31, 2008
By Reporter, Kim Do Hyung
Junior reporter, Jang Tae Yun
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