Harry: Yes, I would agree with that.

Frank: It seems to happen with any air conditioner, not just one particular one. I've been trying to do a bit of research on the Internet to find out what sorts of chemicals are discharged from air conditioners.

Harry: Well, as you say, that could well be the trigger for an allergic reaction.

Frank: Have you heard of something like this before?

Harry: To be perfectly honest I haven't heard of this but certainly on theoretical grounds it could happen. Allergies can be triggered off by an extremely wide variety of chemicals. Have you tried to find out if there are some chemicals that are common to all air conditioners. As you say, this happens with all air conditioners no matter what the manufacturing type.

Frank: Yes, she has the same reaction whether it's an office air conditioner or in a restaurant.

Harry: And does it matter where it is - whether it's in Cape Town or Johannesburg?

Frank: No, it makes no difference where we are.

Harry: Well honestly, you've raised an important possibility. I think you should speak to the manufacturers of air conditioners and they should be able to tell you what chemical or chemicals may be discharged as part of the air conditioning process.

Frank: Okay.

Harry: Because if that's the case, you may have the answer. And this may also be valuable to many other people. If this is happening to your wife it is very likely that it may be happening to other people.

Frank: But is there something that one can actually do about it?

Harry: Well if you can definitely document that, all you can do about it is avoid the air conditioners.

Frank: That makes it very difficult.

Harry: I promise you that these people are not going to change their manufacturing specifications or techniques.

Frank: Certainly not, but I'm talking about the actual symptoms.

Harry: Well the symptoms themselves you can treat symptomatically and there are various things that can help. For example, if it's mainly sneezing and a running nose you could use a topical preparation with cortisone, which is perhaps the most valuable of the lot. That would probably work and provided it's not too severe she could be kept reasonably comfortable. In other words if you tell me that in terms of her job she's just got to be near an air conditioner, under those circumstances I would say that you can treat it symptomatically. But clearly the first prize is not to be involved with air conditioners at all.

Frank: That's very difficult.

Harry: I know it's very, very difficult indeed. But it can be treated reasonably well symptomatically.

Frank: Okay, thank you very much.