# Electric blankets - yea or nay?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-blankets-yea-or-nay/810876>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 20, 2018, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-blankets-yea-or-nay/810876 "2018-03-20T11:31:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-blankets-yea-or-nay/810876/41 "2018-03-22T11:59:23Z")

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I used to like them a lot when I was young. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve started preferring chilly beds when I go to sleep, not warm ones.

> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#):
>
> Sorry, the description says “ **non** -hazardous low voltage technology is safer than others on the market…”
> 
> The old style of electric blankets threw off sizable EM fields:  
> [American Journal of Epidemiology excerpt (pdf):](https://watermark.silverchair.com/151-11-1103.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAAbYwggGyBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggGjMIIBnwIBADCCAZgGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMZtfRH2BaQ8suz0YpAgEQgIIBaeLHx9-4w1YK7SNEWZn-m7ID2OTjKEpvwXIc9_3pRJ-U1wOmrhyT3gfDr0YfTMznDOTGVqWrnrpmmCp9pLZrj_Y-3eFRF3RvLAdIuXZak3vij-ESuCU-lSskzntm2yxSkYafqcrIx1qewOkCxTx2dlgPOssBiGYJVl4I2t-4hH1bHGYiz-NPvBPhE3Is0HfdFnjAzJJXokpG-oB54wVLwExa_ltvK-4X5R9UgIMuQkT2WwvN2dUjbZfSX1n6hsrhKNATSKGztSVdmIa8lT-a2hKs-Khc1ZAzcO-C8oDVyRB9nsPUd4Pe1GaWtIxVuOkyqyhewqtVF40XOGnudEK71PIIpn9yW7Sp_c3iBCljg8y6l00rSSpq-XhkesHK0SeNGJ6TEAkr5XRqvwHjS9Vk5A35dPpFD9IBgyNwiwfOKP81jsaglTwuljqLKDdnvFHOyNL6w9vxqv9vbwD6oBoTyOKYvaidKh-J9-U)
> 
> _“Chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the range of 50-60 Hz has been hypothesized to increase female breast cancer risk (1-3). In-home electrical appliances often provide the highest magnetic field levels experienced in the residence, with electric blankets being among the largest sources.”_
> 
> Is this true or woo?

Woo. There’s been tons of studies on the possibility of EM fields causing cancer, and by all the evidence they don’t. If they do the effect is tiny.

Also, nobody even knows how they\* could.\* So assuming they _did_ cause cancer, there’s no guarantee than a lower voltage wouldn’t increase the risk instead of lowering it.

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**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-blankets-yea-or-nay/810876/42 "2018-03-22T13:28:25Z")

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> [@gigi](#):
>
> 68 is chilly??! That’s higher than where I keep the thermostat during the day during wintertime. 55 at night and I do turn on a heated mattress pad.

Location, location, location!

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-blankets-yea-or-nay/810876/43 "2018-03-22T14:22:39Z")

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🙂 I think I have always run too hot no matter where I was, so this must be the right place for me. Until I can move farther north!

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