Visit of indoor playground / danger from strong fan of jumping castles

Question

Dear expert team,
is there any danger from the fan of a jumping castle? Partly completely closed "rooms" with strong fan/ air pressure.
I have already tried to get some information myself, however do not find any answer.
My son (CF patient, 5 years old) is invited to a birthday party, which should take place on an indoor playground, with numerous jumping castles (open and closed!! rooms).
Can I let my son participate without any worries?
Many thanks for your answer!

Answer

Hello,
your question is not so easy to answer, as we do not know which indoor playground is planned to be visited. In general the topic of hygiene has to be adressed. In case of such an indoor playground there is of course a considerable turbulence of dust, that results from jumping on such a jumping castles and is intensified via the fan. In case the fans are equipped with a properly maintained filter system, this risk is reduced. The risk of an exposition to bacteria or other germs is probably not to be estimated higher than the daily visit of the kindergarten. It can probably not be assumed that a considerable and harmful increase of the air pressure results from the fans.
With a certain security the health of your son will not get harmed due to the participation at the birthday on an indoor playground. Probably you could get some information about the quality of the indoor playground via the Internet. In case there would be reports about deficiencies concerning the hygiene, I would discourage a visit of the playground.
I am sorry that I am only able to give you very general information to your question.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. H.-G. Posselt

03.02.2014