# How wide discussed is "fan death" as a myth in South Korea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740 "2012-05-22T17:49:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/61 "2012-05-24T20:14:39Z")
Different cultures have different superstitions. My aunt once stopped me eating a whole bowlful of pistachios because they were too “garam”. Direct translation of “garam” is warm, or maybe spicy. They were neither. I kept asking her “But what does that _mean_?” And what adults do in India when a child or a young person is asking a question and they don’t have an answer, is brush you off. You’re not important enough to warrant the answer, is the implication. I never did find out why the pistachios were too garam. Too salty? Liable to cause high blood pressure? Then there was the one where my mom died and my uncle insisted on taking us to dunkin donuts and feeding us donuts, or something sweet. Bwuh? Turns out you are supposed to eat something sweet after a death so…the taste of death goes away, or maybe so the spirit doesn’t haunt you…or something. Still never got an answer, still got brushed off. That was three years ago. I’m sure that Korean culture isn’t too dissimilar. Accepted beliefs, unquestioned, and when people do question, they just get brushed off because there really isn’t an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/62 "2012-05-24T20:26:09Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Accepted beliefs, unquestioned, and when people do question, they just get brushed off because there really isn’t an answer. Not quite. You usually do get an answer. Actually, a lot of times the elder (parent, aunt/uncle, grandparent, etc) will tell you why you shouldn’t do something, even if it’s complete nonsense. Otherwise, how would you understand why you should or shouldn’t do something? So, there’s a kind of logic, even if the superstition/belief is not entirely rational. As mentioned earlier in the thread, part of Korean culture is to accept the explanation, even when it doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/63 "2012-05-24T20:31:31Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Different cultures have different superstitions. My aunt once stopped me eating a whole bowlful of pistachios because they were too “garam”. Direct translation of “garam” is warm, or maybe spicy. They were neither. I kept asking her “But what does that _mean_?” And what adults do in India when a child or a young person is asking a question and they don’t have an answer, is brush you off. You’re not important enough to warrant the answer, is the implication. > > I never did find out why the pistachios were too garam. Too salty? Liable to cause high blood pressure? I assume it’s like Chinese medicine where foods are arbitrarily grouped into “hot” and “cold” based on how they affect your bodily humours or energy field or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/64 "2012-05-24T22:49:55Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Direct translation of “garam” is warm, or maybe spicy. Aha - garam masala makes sense now! Thanks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/65 "2012-05-24T22:57:42Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Scoff and call it a myth if you want, but it has been proven that Rebecca Schaeffer was a victim of fan death _and it occurred in the US!_ I was thinking it was something like [this](http://articles.cnn.com/2006-01-16/us/airplane.fatality_1_jet-engine-fatal-accident-passengers-and-five-crew?_s=PM:US). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/66 "2012-05-25T00:14:40Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I was thinking it was something like [this](http://articles.cnn.com/2006-01-16/us/airplane.fatality_1_jet-engine-fatal-accident-passengers-and-five-crew?_s=PM:US). [My soul’s prepared! How’s yours?](http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_om/6371413915/) ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/67 "2012-05-25T02:24:25Z")
> [@Grey\_area](#): > > Korean in Korea reporting in. > > Never knew fan death was such a hot topic for foreigners. It’s not as big of a deal as some of you seem to think. It’s not “NEVER leave the fan on or you’ll DIE!” but more like “probably not too healthy to sleep with the fan blowing on you and maybe kill you. Probably not, but why risk it?” > Kind of like superstition. You could probably walk under that ladder without any ill effect, but it’s not that much trouble to just walk around it. > > To me it feels like a good rally point for westerners in Korea to feel smug and laugh at the silly Koreans and their fan death. Meh. I disagree that Koreans view it as superstition. The explanations for fan death are pseudo-scientific (it causes hypothermia, it restricts air circulation). They used to report it on the news, for god’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/68 "2012-05-25T02:54:31Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Can I leave out soy milk for the lactose intolerant little people? You do and you wake up surrounded by fans. Assuming you wake up. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/69 "2012-05-25T03:03:08Z")
So, in Korea how easy is it to cover up a murder by switching on a fan? ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/70 "2012-05-25T03:48:53Z")
Depends on how you plan to murder them, I suppose. If the victim had their throat slashed open I doubt the police are going to blame the fan. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/71 "2012-05-25T04:04:21Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I disagree that Koreans view it as superstition. The explanations for fan death are pseudo-scientific (it causes hypothermia, it restricts air circulation). They used to report it on the news, for god’s sake. This is true, The Korea Consumer Protection Board states (taken from [Skeptoid](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4287), one of my favorite podcasts): > [@](#): > > If bodies are exposed to electric fans or air conditioners for too long, it causes bodies to lose water and hypothermia. If directly in contact with a fan, this could lead to death from increase of carbon dioxide saturation concentration and decrease of oxygen concentration. The risks are higher for the elderly and patients with respiratory problems. > > From 2003-2005, a total of 20 cases were reported through the CISS involving asphyxiations caused by leaving electric fans and air conditioners on while sleeping. To prevent asphyxiation, timers should be set, wind direction should be rotated and doors should be left open. In other words, people whose job it is to know better, think you can suffocate from a freaking fan in Korea. Anywho, I am really interested in the OP more than fan death which is obvious bunk… I’m interested in how many of them know it’s a made up cause of death known only to their country. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/72 "2012-05-25T05:07:04Z")
I’m sure a lot of the younger generation are aware that foreigners think it’s silly. Almost every foreign teacher in Korea has probably brought it up at least once with their students. For the most part, Koreans believe that there is at least some truth to the idea that fans can cause death. However, as I’ve already stated upthread, it’s not something that Koreans are obsessed over or anything. It’s not like there’s a movement of people protesting the fan manufacturing companies, or a counter-movement saying that it’s all bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/73 "2012-05-25T05:20:58Z")
Well… fans can contribute to death. But the circumstances have to be just right. Take, for instance, an old man. Liquor him up to the gills on soju (not exactly a difficult task). Have him pass out in a poorly ventilated, hot shack/apartment in the summer where the air temperature is above body temperature and when he’s already dehydrated from a night of drinking. Then turn a fan on him which, essentially, turns the room into a convection cell and is constantly pushing hot, dry air against the drunk’s skin. Bingo bango bongo, fan death. Of course, that’s not how the stories normally go. And, IIRC, all (most?) fans in Korea have an automatic shutoff timer so that they don’t kill ya. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/74 "2012-05-25T07:01:53Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > (In the parts of Spain with more celtic blood, you’re supposed to leave milk near the cooking fire, not outside) So there’s a group of Red Spanish to correspond with the Black Irish? Is there a good story behind that? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/75 "2012-05-25T07:46:06Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > 죽은 아기를 먹는 것은 미친짓이다 > 팬들은 산소를 분할 수 없습니다 > 김정일은 작은 성기를 가지고 “Eating a dead baby is crazy Fans can not split the oxygen Kim Jong Il has a small penis” 우리는 여기서 영어. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/76 "2012-05-25T08:48:03Z")
If it’s a myth, it isn’t limited to Korea. According to the US EPA an electric fan in a hot unventilated space really can be dangerous. Why this would be more widely known or problematic in Korea than anywhere else is a mystery, but it does seem to be a genuine hazard everywhere. The EPA includes the following warning in a [guide to city managers](http://www.epa.gov/hiri/about/pdf/EHEguide_final.pdf) for handling ‘extreme heat events’. > [@](#): > > 4.2.2 Provide information on proper use of portable electric fans during EHEs > The TWG also strongly recommends that, as part of a public education program, cities > emphasize that portable electric fans are not the simple cooling solution they appear to > be. Because of the limits of conduction and convection, using a portable electric fan alone > when heat index temperatures exceed 99°f actually increases the heat stress the body must > respond to by blowing air that is warmer than the ideal body temperature over the skin > surface (American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs, 1997; CDC, 2004c). In > these conditions, portable electric fans provide a cooling effect by evaporating sweat. The > increased circulation of hot air and increased sweat evaporation can, however, speed the > onset of heat-attributable conditions (e.g., heat exhaustion). > > Thus, portable electric fans need to be used with caution and under specific circumstances > during an EHE, such as exhausting hot air from a room or drawing in cooler air through > an open window. Generally, portable electric fans may not be a practical and safe cooling > mechanism during an EHE in homes that are already hot and are not air-conditioned; > their use should be discouraged unless the fans are bringing in significantly cooler air > from outside the dwelling. If a resident must stay in these dwellings, and if they are unable > to access an air-conditioned environment, safer cooling approaches would include taking > frequent cool showers and drinking cool, nonalcoholic fluids (e.g., ice water). Because of > the importance of this issue, and the contradictory messages people may have received > about using portable electric fans during EHEs, Appendix B provides a series of guidelines > for fan use during EHEs. [QUOTE=Appendix B] The widespread availability and ease of using portable electric fans draw many people to use them for personal cooling during an EHE. Portable electric fans can, however, increase the circulation of hot air, which increases thermal stress and health risks during EHE conditions. As a result, portable electric fans need to be used with caution and under specific circumstances during an EHE. Here is a list of Do’s and Don’t’s for their use: Do Use a portable electric fan in or next to an open window so heat can exhaust to the outside (box fans are best). Use a portable electric fan to bring in cooler air from the outside. Plug your portable electric fan directly into a wall outlet. If you need an extension cord, check that it is UL (Underwriter Laboratories) approved in the United States or CSA (Canadian Standards Approved) approved in Canada. Don’t Use a portable electric fan in a closed room without windows or doors open to the outside. Believe that portable electric fans cool air. They don’t. They just move the air around and keep you cool by helping to evaporate your sweat. Use a portable electric fan to blow extremely hot air on yourself. This can accelerate the risk of heat exhaustion. Use a fan as a substitute for spending time in an air-conditioned facility during an EHE. If you are afraid to open your window to use a portable electric fan, choose other ways to keep cool (e.g., cool showers, spend time in an air-conditioned location). [/quote] ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/77 "2012-05-25T09:35:30Z")
I think the problem is that Koreans believe fans are dangerous for the wrong reasons: i.e., you’ll choke on your own carbon dioxide or die of chills. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/78 "2012-05-25T09:55:14Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I think the problem is that Koreans believe fans are dangerous for the wrong reasons: i.e., you’ll choke on your own carbon dioxide or die of chills. There’s an interesting piece about this on the [Ask A Korean](http://askakorean.blogspot.mx/2009/01/fan-death-is-real.html) website. According to him it boils down to > [@](#): > > The Korean would place the blame on the misunderstanding about the cause of Fan Death to the Korean media. Korean media has been careless reporting cases of Fan Death. Recently, Korean media itself is realizing this point. According to a Dong-A Ilbo article, there simply has been no scientific effort to prove Fan Death, even in cases where the fan was supposed to be responsible. There have been no papers on this topic, and no autopsy performed on the person who supposedly died from Fan Death. > > The Korean will reiterate: Fan Death is real. The causal mechanism is causing death is very clear; Koreans who warn of Fan Death warn of the exact conditions under which such causation would occur; and it is very plausible that such causation will in fact occur in Korea. However, the Korean will say this: Most likely, not all cases of Fan Death reported in Korean media are truly Fan Death. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/79 "2012-05-25T10:07:23Z")
Yes, he basically says the same thing as I did, which is that fan death is real but not for the reasons Koreans believe. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-wide-discussed-is-fan-death-as-a-myth-in-south-korea/622740/80 "2012-05-25T10:39:20Z")
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