# Maybe sleeping in a closed room with an electric fan DOES cause death? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 22, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409 "2011-10-22T01:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@anyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyi)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/1 "2011-10-22T01:00:42Z")
I always thought fan death was silly after Cecil’s article: [Will sleeping in a closed room with an electric fan cause death?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1245/will-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-cause-death) Then I stumbled across this article today, by Ask a Korean!, one of my favorite blogs: [Fan Death is Real](http://askakorean.blogspot.com/2009/01/fan-death-is-real.html) And I should probably mention this post by Ask the Expat as well, just in case there is anyone suffering from KDS here: [Korean Derangement Syndrome](http://asktheexpat.blogspot.com/2009/10/korean-derangement-syndrome.html) Thoughts? I, for one, plan to ponder the issue while baking some bread in my countertop convection oven. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/2 "2011-10-22T01:11:44Z")
Why do you feel that one Korean article (a blog, no less), in a country where that myth is rampant, trumps everything Cecil says? Do you have any new evidence? Have you applied the [Baloney Detection Kit?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUB4j0n2UDU) ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/3 "2011-10-22T02:42:01Z")
Citing the EPA is pretty persuasive. Though I don’t think what’s described there really matches up with the Korean hysteria. I think the best that can be said is that a fan could hasten hyperthermal death if the ambient temperature is at or above body temperature, and the victim is dehydrated. That’s a far cry from “if you don’t crack the window you’ll die”. (Not least because cracking the window wouldn’t save someone from hyperthermia if the ambient temperature is actually that high.) Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/4 "2011-10-22T04:17:06Z")
I sleep in a closed room with an electric fan on for about 6 months of the year and have been doing so for about 27 years now. Well I am still breathing and have a pulse so either I have discovered a new kind of death unknown to medical science or the myth is bogus. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/5 "2011-10-22T15:35:32Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > I sleep in a closed room with an electric fan on for about 6 months of the year and have been doing so for about 27 years now. Well I am still breathing and have a pulse so either I have discovered a new kind of death unknown to medical science or the myth is bogus. I use one almost year around; for cooling in summer and white noise other times. I **don’t think** I am a zombie (although for some reason I have this craving for deep fried brains now :D). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/6 "2011-10-22T15:50:50Z")
Wasn’t John Lennon’s death attributed to a fan? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/7 "2011-10-22T16:46:34Z")
Yes, but not an \*electric \*one. Ya gots ta keep your urban legends straight here. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/8 "2011-10-22T17:02:41Z")
OK, I misread. Mark David Chapman was an _eclectic_ fan. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/9 "2011-10-22T17:08:56Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > OK, I misread. Mark David Chapman was an _eclectic_ fan. Bravo, sir. Well played. I wracked my brain trying to come up with a similar comeback, but came up empty. ---
**Author:** ![Find\_Friends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Find\_Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Find_Friends)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/10 "2011-10-22T18:32:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > OK, I misread. Mark David Chapman was an _eclectic_ fan. And an _ **eccentric** _ one. Esoteric as well, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/11 "2011-10-22T18:51:17Z")
Cecil does quote a source saying it is possible, but highly unlikely. However, thenotion that it can only happen in Korea is … Well, less than convincing. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/12 "2011-10-22T19:30:38Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > However, thenotion that it can only happen in Korea is … Well, less than convincing. Maybe you gotta believe to make it happen. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/13 "2011-10-22T19:35:30Z")
I think you would have to be very severely dehydrated to get to the point where your body could no longer sweat (if indeed, you can ever get to that point, short of having died), and the whole explanation turns upon the victim having ceased to sweat. Also, there are plenty of places hotter than Korea, but where this belief does not seem to be prevalent. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/14 "2011-10-22T22:23:16Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I think you would have to be very severely dehydrated to get to the point where your body could no longer sweat (if indeed, you can ever get to that point, short of having died), and the whole explanation turns upon the victim having ceased to sweat. And not waking up in spite of a serious body malfunction that spanned several hours. ---
**Author:** ![anyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@anyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/15 "2011-10-23T12:00:04Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Why do you feel that one Korean article (a blog, no less), in a country where that myth is rampant, trumps everything Cecil says? Do you have any new evidence? Er, did you read the link? It’s written by a Korean-American attorney who has lived in both countries and knows both countries well. He cites sources and writes what I believe is a well-considered article with some caveats and reasonable explanations. Most death attributed to fans are probably unlikely, he notes, a fact with which most of us would concur. But the point is this: There is a scientific argument here that did not occur to Cecil and one I’d love to see him address. It also confirms something I noticed just this past summer in Chicago’s heat, i.e, that when it’s extremely hot, running a fan sometimes seemed to make me feel hotter. Now I know why. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/16 "2011-10-23T12:14:15Z")
I read the article. It does not stand up to scrutiny in the sense that its conclusions must be compared to countries where this is not considered a phenomenon - which is _every other country in the entire world_. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/17 "2011-10-23T12:52:16Z")
You know. There have been times in all the years I have slept next to or under an electric fan, when it did actually cause something like feeling very cold or the air was annoying. The solution? Not dying, but waking up and shutting the damn thing off. Seriously, if you cannot wake up when you get uncomfortable enough, then an electric fan is the least of your problems. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/18 "2011-10-23T13:16:28Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I think you would have to be very severely dehydrated to get to the point where your body could no longer sweat (if indeed, you can ever get to that point, short of having died), and the whole explanation turns upon the victim having ceased to sweat. > > Also, there are plenty of places hotter than Korea, but where this belief does not seem to be prevalent. I’m not defending the idea of fan death, in any way, but, heat stroke is a condition in which one is no longer able to sweat. This causes the internal temp to continue to rise, even after the patient is removed from the hot environment. Unconsciousness follows, so, **Musicat** no, one wouldn’t awaken. Heat stroke can happen in a surprisingly short time, given the right (wrong?) conditions. I don’t believe those conditions can be met in a room with a fan, however. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/19 "2011-10-23T13:34:47Z")
That linked article says, “Remember the conditions under which Koreans say Fan Deaths happen – summer (=heat), enclosed room, fan directly on the body.” So if it is that hot, who leaves the windows shut? ---
**Author:** ![Rickymouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rickymouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rickymouse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409/20 "2011-10-23T16:32:50Z")
sometimes a fan gives off a funny smell if it’s turned on low. Something about the rheostat lowering the voltage and the windings getting warm. I know this can make you sick feeling but I don’t think it will kill you unless you have an allergy to one of the chemicals. The humming is a tell-tale sign. this problem occurs with cieling fans a lot but they do sell better quality rheastat switches for them and some higher end box fans have better switches. I have a few of these good speed reducers for power tools. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maybe-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-does-cause-death/600409.md?page=2)