Death by sleeping in an enclosed room while a fan is running...

Having read the initial post(s) and your reply to Korean people being scared stiff of falling asleep while an electric fan is running in a “sealed” room…

I’m with you all the way as for your “this is nonsense” answer to the overall problem. However, I have one little “maybe” to throw in there…

Being an electrical/electronic kinda guy for some time now, I wonder if perhaps those Korean fans may be emitting some sort of “heat activated” chemical (from the spray coating of the armature) into the room during unusally high temperatures, which could displace the O2 in the room enough to do the dirty deed.

I doubt it, but since you didn’t include this as a possibility in your reply to the “teem”, I figured that I’d throw it out there…

Plausible, but unlikely…

JJ Richard

Cecil’s column is Will sleeping in a closed room with an electric fan cause death? (Week of: 12-Sep-97)

JJ, what kind of chemical were you thinking of? Do you have an example?

I don’t know about any chemicals but ozone is created by the tiny sparks emitted by the motor armature and brush function. That would burn up oxygen. Don’t know how much but it would be increased by wear.
Also the plastic would outgas if it were to get hot.
The whole thing may be that they are catching cold due to dropping their surface temp by the evaporation of sweat.
Like I mentioned in the previous post,lots of things can lurk in a room that does not have adequate ventilation.

This clipping is also discussed in
http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000621.html

Some people there agree with you.

justwannano:

That ozone idea isn’t half bad, except that fans often don’t have commutators in them. I’ve opened up a couple of box fan motors, and they’re simple induction motors. No connection to the rotor needed, thus no commutator. Unless Korean fans have some pretty unusual motors in them.