Are kerosene heaters harmful to health? How harmful are infrared heaters to human health

Why warm and superheated indoor air is harmful - tells Oleg Borisov, head of the OKB Health Center, general practitioner.

Dry air is not good

Natalya Korba, AiF-Yugra: Oleg Vasilievich, why are overheated rooms dangerous?

Therapist Oleg Borisov: The human body is open system, which interacts with environment. The higher the room temperature, the lower the humidity, and this the most important factor. Excessively dry air dehydrates the body, dries out skin, mucous eyes, nose, throat. This problem is especially relevant for the North.

REFERENCE:

Hygienic standards for air temperature in the premises of social infrastructure facilities: - 21-23 degrees Celsius in the playrooms of the junior, middle, senior group cells of preschool organizations; - 19-20 degrees Celsius in the bedrooms of all group cells of preschool organizations; - 18-24 degrees Celsius in classrooms and offices of educational organizations; - 20-26 degrees Celsius in the wards of medical institutions; - not lower than 20 degrees Celsius in rooms for recreation and games in organizations for orphans and children left without parental care; - 20-22 degrees Celsius in the living rooms of organizations social services for the elderly, people with handicapped health and disabled people. Data provided by Rospotrebnadzor for Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra.

In our region, they are building very warm houses with a good heating system. The batteries are hot, but the ventilation systems often do not work so well, and the quality building materials leaves much to be desired, they are not breathable and absorb moisture from the air. Add to this more household appliances: electric stoves, radiators. All this reduces the humidity in the house. Its optimal indicator in summer is 60-75%, in winter - 55-70%. In fact, in modern concrete houses such humidity is not kept, in winter it drops to 25-30%.

- How does it affect our health?

At a humidity of 25-30%, the respiratory epithelium, the protector of the mucous membranes, is destroyed. This leads to easier penetration of infections. Therefore, in the cold season, chronic rhinitis is more often exacerbated, especially in children, which can lead to more serious complications, such as adenoids. Dry air makes breathing difficult, a weakened throat is attacked by tonsillitis and tonsillitis. Young children are more likely to develop conjunctivitis - they begin to scratch their eyes and bring dust and dirt into them.

Low indoor humidity can lead to illness, especially in children. Photo: pixabay.com

If the relative humidity in the premises drops to 10% or less, this can lead to serious lung dysfunction, exacerbation of bronchial asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Aquarium - not for fish

- What if the batteries at home cannot be turned off?

Use improvised means: hang wet rags on batteries, place containers with water, including open aquariums, carry out daily wet cleaning. Houseplants are good humidifiers. Compulsory household appliance must have a humidifier. If it is impossible to ensure the optimal level of humidity in the entire apartment, then at least in the area where the child is located.

A special topic is the temperature in kindergartens. Studies were conducted that revealed: the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections in kindergartens, where the air is dry, is twice as high as where the ideal humidity. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to the microclimate in kindergarten, and in case of violation temperature regime contact the administration.

What are the preventive measures for respiratory diseases? autumn period would you advise?

First, it is regular long walks. The child must be dressed according to the weather, it is impossible for children to be constantly wrapped up, the body must breathe. Secondly, a constant fortified diet, you won’t be able to eat enough vitamins for the future in the summer. It is important to remember a simple rule: we must receive those vitamins that grow in us. For example, cranberries and lingonberries are the best ascorbic acid for northerners. Garlic should also be a regular guest on the table.

You should not wrap the child too warmly for a walk. Photo: pixabay.com

- What about hardening?

There are a lot of hardening systems. The technique should be selected for the child, his current condition, the presence chronic diseases. If a child is asthmatic, not every hardening technique is suitable for him, which can provoke a disease. Therefore, it is better for parents to seek advice on hardening from the local pediatrician.

If you do not have a special device at home that measures air humidity - a hygrometer, you can find out this indicator using a simple glass beaker and water. To do this, you need to type in a glass cold water and put in the refrigerator until the temperature of the liquid in the container cools down to 3-5 degrees.

Photo: pixabay.com / klimkin

The cooled glass should be placed in a room away from the heating source and observe:

If the condensate is completely dry after 5-10 minutes, the air in the room is very dry;

If after 5-10 minutes the condensate has collected in large drops on the walls of the glass and flows from them in streams - the air in the room is excessively humid;

Normal humidity in the room in the event that after 5-10 minutes the condensate has not dried up, but it has not dripped either.

Thus, a glass and water turn into a handmade hygrometer.

In almost every home today you can see some kind of heater. This boon of civilization helps us to survive the off-season, when it is not heated yet, but it is already cold, and very coldy when heated, but still cold. Modern market offers many options, among which there are heaters for every taste and budget. But the most controversial fame is enjoyed by infrared heaters. Are they harmful or is it a myth?

Any layman who sees this invention on the shelves involuntarily raises a question about its safety. Are infrared heaters harmful? The very word "infrared" sounds somehow too frightening, and is immediately associated with radiation or ultraviolet radiation. But in fact, there is nothing of the kind here. And, as it turned out, even the opposite. Infrared waves have long been used in medicine to treat certain diseases. They are well accepted by the human body, and therefore very effectively help to overcome ailments. The same principle underlies the heater. infrared waves are transmitted human body, like the sun's rays, and very effectively, and most importantly, quickly warm it.

Do not confuse infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV is really bad. IR - is considered harmless. The sun gives us both types of radiation. And the heater is like the same sun, only without ultraviolet radiation. At least that's what the manufacturers tell us.

Advantages of IR heaters

If we compare this type of heater with others, we can name a number of advantages. Heaters that emit infrared waves warm all objects around (to which it is directed). That is a big plus. After all, even when the device is turned off, the heated walls, floor and ceiling continue to give off their heat, and the room remains comfortable temperature for quite some time yet.

Oil or convector heaters can only heat the air. Moreover, in order to heat the room, they need some time, and in order to keep the heat, they almost always need to be kept on, which negatively affects electricity bills.

In addition, when using an infrared heater, you do not need to additionally use various ones, which inevitably follows when other thermal devices are connected to the network. The air during operation of such a heater is not dried. And even to destroy dampness and mold under the power of this technique, which cannot be said about competitors. It seems that the harm of infrared heaters can be called into question.

It can even be used to warm a person on outdoors(on the veranda, balcony), directing it directly to the object, it will not work uselessly, warming the street.

Harm of infrared heaters

However, infrared heaters can still bring some harm.

First, it concerns proper operation. Once upon a time, the very first models were considered quite fire hazardous. It only took one fall to start a fire. Modern appliances are equipped with a bunch of sensors that should turn off the power if the heater is accidentally dropped. But still, in this world, everything can misfire, including some kind of sensor, it can simply not work on time. So you have to choose first. wall models, and for the outdoor carefully look, and keep away from children.

Secondly, when buying, carefully study the composition and manufacturer. There are many fakes for an infrared heater, which, when heated, together with heat, release various harmful compounds into the air.

From personal experience: it is not very comfortable to spend a day at work under an infrared heater. I don't know if infrared heaters are harmful or not, but by the end of the day my head hurts. Feels like you've been in the microwave all day. Heating is uneven - part of the face turned to the heater is “burning”, the second part is cold. It can be compared with being by the fire: if you turn your face to the fire, you feel the heat, if you turn away, it pours cold. I don't know how harmless it is. Maybe you are right. But I don't want to experience this every day.

Summing up, we can say that infrared heaters are the climate technology of the future. They are already an order of magnitude superior to their predecessors, economical, easy to operate. Surely, over time, this direction of technical thought will only improve and questions about the dangers of infrared heaters will no longer arise. However, we do not yet have total confidence in this type of heaters.

When purchasing a home heating device, you need to pay attention not only to specifications unit, but also on the safety of its use. To choose the safest heater, you should assess the degree of its fire safety, if there is an oxygen consumption factor, its intensity, the temperature of the body heating and other parameters. After all, for example, if the heater body becomes very hot during operation, you can get burned by accidentally touching the device. One of the first places when choosing a heater is also the degree of environmental friendliness of the device - an especially important characteristic if a child lives in the house.

Oil coolers

Attention: Among all types of heaters, oil heaters are considered the most reliable and safe. They consist of sealed housing filled with oil and an electric heating element. Everything modern models such devices have a thermostat designed for manual control of the heating temperature of the device. High performance heaters are equipped with timers for heating programming and LCD displays showing the current operating parameters of the device. Models equipped with a built-in fan heat the room faster and more evenly, accelerating the movement of convective currents and more intensively mixing air layers in the room with different values temperature.

Oil cooler with liquid crystal display, equipped with a removable device for safe drying of laundry.

The body of the oil heater, depending on the type of unit, is in the form of a flat panel or cast iron radiator central heating- consists of separate sections assembled into a battery. The more sections in such a device, the more intensively the room will be heated. The capacity of radiators of various models of oil heaters can be different - you can increase the heat transfer area of ​​the battery by changing the profile of the sections while maintaining the basic dimensions of the unit.

Given heating equipment has the following advantages:

• simplicity of design;
• noiselessness (models without fan);
• affordable price;
• availability of automatic control;
• security.

Among the shortcomings, one can single out increased power consumption and a low speed of entering the operating mode - the result of the heater's operation will be felt no earlier than 30 minutes after switching on. In addition, it should be mentioned about the rather significant weight of oil coolers - from 18 to 25 kg.

fan heaters

The main advantage of fan heaters is their compactness and the ability to quickly heat the room. The electric fan heater consists of a heating element and a fan.

Important! Fan heaters, depending on the power of the model, can be used to heat both residential premises and large industrial facilities a large area, such as warehouses or hangars.

Household fan heaters are easy to use and compact. Their cost and quality depends on the type of installed heating element, which is used as:

• spiral;
• ceramic type heater.

Timberk portable compact fan heater in a plastic case

The main disadvantages of spiral fan heaters are also the increased consumption of electricity and the high heating temperature of the spiral - when dust enters the spiral, it burns out, releasing an unpleasant and harmful odor to humans.

Important! Ignition of dust accumulation can provoke a fire, therefore, it is necessary to turn on the unit with a visual control of the start of work.

The fan heater must be installed in a place inaccessible to children, the device must not be left switched on unattended or instructed to control its operation by children.

TEN types of fan heaters are equipped with a heating element made of wire or graphite. They are safer to use than their spiral counterparts but are more cost effective.

The most advanced of fan heaters are ceramic models equipped with heating elements covered with a layer of porous ceramics. The ceramic coating is a kind of thermal insulator that lowers the surface temperature of the heater, making it safer. However, this effective design feature also results in a higher price for such devices.

Convectors

Convectors have been used to heat homes for a long time. These are safe and efficient heaters, thanks to which you can quickly warm up the room. In addition, this device is not capable of causing a burn - the temperature of its case does not rise above 60 degrees.

IMPORTANT! A high degree of performance safety allows you to leave the convector turned on for a short (1-3 hours) absence of residents, setting the temperature value with the regulator, 2-3 degrees less than usual.

Electric convector floor version, equipped with support legs on wheels for ease of movement.

Convectors are characterized by compactness, the presence of additional options, such as touch panels, operation mode switch, high heat output.

Infrared heaters

Infrared heaters are a fairly popular means of heating homes and premises for other purposes. They are sources of infrared radiation that can heat objects in the room that are exposed to infrared rays. Most often, such emitters are mounted on the ceiling or walls, but there are also portable tripod units.

Attention: With the help of these heaters, you can provide high-quality heating of actual areas in the room. For example, you can warm only the working or sleeping place, and keep the temperature in the rest of the room without significant changes, which increases the efficiency of heating.

An example of placing an infrared heater hanging type

IR heaters have the following advantages:

• resistance to moisture;
• noiselessness;
• relatively low power consumption;
• a fairly wide power range of manufactured devices;
• do not change the humidity in the room.

The distance from infrared heaters to the nearest object in the path of infrared rays should be at least 2-3 meters to avoid fire. In the room where the infrared heater is installed, there must be no flammable objects (wool, paper, wood shavings).

Electric fireplaces

In an effort to effectively heat the room, many prefer electric fireplaces with the effect of "live fire".

Note: in fact, such an electric fireplace is a conventional fan heater with a visual imitation of a moving flame. The cost of this type of heater largely depends on the model, but, as a rule, is high due to the high class of the decorative design of the case.

One of the models of an electric fireplace with a body trimmed with precious woods and a 3D imitation of a living flame

Typically, an electric fireplace is built into a wall or installed close to the building envelope. The device differs in efficiency, reliability and sufficient power. In addition, this heater can be used not only for heating, but also as an element of room decor.

Non-electric heaters

All of the heaters listed above require electricity to operate. But in the absence of power supply, the need for heating does not disappear, and in such situations a gas convector is indispensable. Similar devices heating efficiency, durability and reliability. Household gas, when burned, almost does not form harmful substances, so there is no need for a device in the room hood. However, the combustion of gas is accompanied by the consumption of oxygen from the air, and the heated room must be periodically ventilated.

The gas convector is equipped with devices for automatically stopping the gas supply when the burner goes out (flame sensor), gas pressure surges at the supply or the appliance overturning.

Household portable gas convector floor version with protective grid

For space heating, you can also use more powerful devices - gas guns, but they are used more often in industrial buildings, where people are not constantly present, but periodically. However, even in such a situation Fire safety- a factor that occupies the first place in the requirements for the operation of such equipment.

Conclusion

Of all the above devices for heating, electric convectors are the safest. But, no matter what heating device you buy, during its operation there is always a factor of increased temperature of the equipment case and the risk of fire or burns. Therefore, you should always remember about safety precautions and strictly follow its rules. What kind of heater you use depends only on the direction of safety, which is a priority.

except general rules use of electrical or gas equipment, the individual requirements set out by the manufacturer in the instructions for use are mandatory.

Infrared heaters are harmful to health due to the presence in their radiation spectrum of a large proportion of waves that penetrate deeply into the human body. The harm of an infrared heater is determined by the distribution of radiation power over the entire spectral range. Although all artificial heat sources, such as oil or water radiators, emit infrared rays, they do so at different infrared wavelengths and have different effects on human health.

What can thermal radiation do?

Infrared rays are divided into 3 main subranges:

1. 0.75-1.48 microns - provide penetration of infrared radiation by 4 cm under the human skin.
2. 1.49-2.9 microns - such waves penetrate into the middle layers of the skin.
3. More than 3 microns - completely absorbed by the upper skin layers of the human body.

Human thermal radiation - 9.5 microns. Infrared heating with a ceramic heater has a wavelength of 3.5 microns. The sun also has a thermal component in its spectrum, but it emits infrared radiation at a wavelength of 0.48 microns. The benefits and harms of any source of such exposure are assessed by the radiation power at a certain temperature and wavelength. For example, if the heat source is heated to 256°C, then the radiated wavelength will be about 6.7 microns, and the radiant power will reach 148 W/m². If the object is heated to 606 ° C, then the wave will be already 3.5 microns, and the power flow will increase to 748 W / m².

IR heaters have great advantages over traditional heat sources in the shortwave and mid-infrared subrange. In this case, their efficiency increases significantly due to the small scattering of the emitted waves in the air and the direct transfer of energy to the irradiated object. But you can get a strong overheating, which will adversely affect people's health.

What damage can an IR heater cause?

The harm from infrared heaters can be quite significant. For example, often used by people in different devices quartz heater can act like this:

1. From its impact, the skin dries up due to the intensive release of moisture from the side where infrared rays come from.
2. Quartz heater can cause burns. This often happens in infrared saunas.
3. Biochemical impact on people heat flow has due to the effect on the protein of the skin. It changes the permeability of the membrane of blood cells.
4. With prolonged exposure, the heater can also harm the eyes: the retina and lens suffer. This is often the cause of the occurrence and development of cataracts.

Exactly the same effect can have on the skin of people infrared heating installed in the apartment. Large doses of infrared radiation are harmful to health. Workers of workshops where glass or metal is processed by an infrared apparatus were studied. It was recognized that the skin of workers in such industries loses its protective qualities due to high heat intensity.

Many people ask whether a quartz heater, which is used in physiotherapy procedures, is harmful or not. There is no great danger from such a device, since in medical institutions all radiation parameters are strictly regulated, and such an infrared heater affects patients for a very short time, so it cannot cause any damage to the skin of patients.

There are established sanitary norms for a long stay of a person in a room where an infrared heater is located. In IR saunas, the effect of heat on people is short-term, so it is possible to use intense irradiation with a power of up to 450-490 W / m², but the technology must be strictly maintained, otherwise a burn is possible. Scientists consider such saunas to be useless, since they have no advantages over traditional stoves.

How to avoid danger from using IR heaters?

The harm from heating houses with a ceiling-type IR emitter will be maximum if it is installed so low that it constantly heats the owner's head. Therefore, it is recommended to mount ceiling heaters on a relatively high altitude in such a way that the radiation, if possible, is not directed directly at people.

Infrared heaters are harmful to children. Therefore, they can not be installed in the children's room. They can cause harm in the bedroom, so if you want to install them, then you need to use this equipment very carefully. In any case, heat should not be directed towards sleeping people.

The ideal option is to install heaters in such a way that the heat flow goes to the floor, walls and furniture. Such devices should not have very high power.

Infrared heating devices can be effectively used if necessary to heat sheds, gazebos, balconies, hallways.

In this case, their energy potential will be most fully used, since, by heating the nearby surfaces (walls, etc.), they help to keep the room warm for a long time even when cold air flows into it, for example, when airing.

Do not believe too much in the beliefs of manufacturers and sellers about the complete safety of such equipment. It works well only if all the safety measures that the consumer must follow are observed. It is recommended to install heaters as far as possible from the place where people gather (for example, they should not be mounted next to the sofa where the family watches TV). It is not recommended to send heat flows on living beings. It is best to install heaters near the walls, for example, in the corners of the room or under the windowsill. As already mentioned, ceiling IR heaters should be installed at maximum heights so that their heat flow dissipates and cannot heat people's skin.

During the off-season, when it is still not quite cold, but not warm anymore, almost everyone uses heaters different type. fan heaters, oil coolers, electric spiral devices are familiar to the consumer for a long time. Today, equipment manufacturers are celebrating high efficiency infrared heaters and recommend using only such devices. The performance characteristics are attractive, but we would like to know whether or not an infrared heater is harmful before purchasing one for our family.

1. Harm can be avoided

A little about infrared radiation

Any type of heating device used by a person emits infrared rays (IR) of different wavelengths and intensities. Who doesn't love to bask in the warm rays of the sun? At the same time, prolonged exposure to the sun can damage the skin. The positive and negative impact of infrared rays on a person is determined by the depth of penetration of radiation into the skin.

Let's look at how an infrared heater works and what makes it different from other heating devices. The uniqueness lies in the fact that the energy is transferred to the surface of the object with virtually no loss. The higher the temperature of the device, the stronger the heating object heats up. The maximum heating of the plane occurs when in large numbers short waves, which is observed when the heater itself is heated. If during the operation of the device mainly short waves go to the heated object, the benefit parameter drops to zero, and the harm from the infrared heater increases.

On sale today there are 3 types of heaters:

1. Devices that heat up to 300 degrees with a wavelength of 50-200 microns.
2. Devices that heat up to 600 degrees with a wavelength of 2.5–50 microns.
3. Devices heated by more than 800 degrees with a wavelength of 0.7-2.5 microns.

Infrared rays with a wavelength of less than 3 microns penetrate through upper layer skin and can be harmful to human health.

Is infrared heater harmful?

If you install the device in a room and position yourself directly in front of it on long time, the skin facing the heater may burn. This happens from the rapid heating and evaporation of moisture from the upper layer of the skin under the influence of IR.

The impact of infrared radiation on the human body has been studied for a long time. In medicine, infrared rays are used during physiotherapy procedures. Sessions of medical procedures are strictly limited in time. The production of heaters with constant infrared radiation is considered harmful by physicians. Under the strong influence of rays, changes can begin in the inner layers of the skin.

Do not allow prolonged exposure to infrared rays on the eyes to avoid burns to the lens and retina. After such a burn, there is a risk of cataracts.

Attached low on the ceiling, the device will constantly have a strong effect on the head. Ceiling models must be hung as high as possible and directed at an angle, which will significantly reduce the harm from an infrared heater.

Are infrared rays helpful?

Human body also emits radiation waves of 3–50 µm. Natural infrared radiation has a length of 7–14 microns. In these parameters, the body perceives radiation as much as possible. Using in medical procedures warming up infrared waves of a certain length, doctors keep the patient's body in good shape and help him recover. The number and duration of sessions is strictly limited so as not to harm.

Long infrared waves do not cause any harm to the body. With their help, a person can increase the immunity of the body.

Are infrared heaters harmful to health? We can say that at right choice and the installation of the device, the harmfulness is reduced to almost zero.

When choosing a model of an IR heater, you should pay attention to its technical characteristics and find out the range of radiation waves. So that it does not harm you, this parameter should be in the range of 3-10 microns.

Harm can be avoided

Positive reviews experts on the use of infrared heaters in everyday life are based on the following rules:

1. The power of the device you bought must match the parameters of the room or be adjustable.
2. The radiation from the heater should be directed towards the wall or floor, and not towards the person.
3. Try to keep infrared rays away from your head.
4. Do not install IR heaters in the children's room.
5. Usage infrared devices on the street does no harm.

Numerous user reviews of household electric infrared heaters note the effectiveness of their use in the country, when a short time it is necessary to warm the house in wet weather or create a comfortable seating area in an open gazebo.

Video about infrared heaters