Air conditioning systems don’t have a long history in homes. Not as long as electricity and indoor plumbing, for example. Central air conditioning installations only became common in the 1970s. Since ACs started spreading, homeowners have wondered if these cooling devices might cause indoor health complications.
For the most part, they don’t. Air conditioning systems pose no major health concerns to a household unless a major refrigerant leak sends chemical refrigerant into the living spaces—a rare occurrence. But the way ACs operate can have a negative effect on some individuals, such as headaches.