Anyone who goes to sleep with a fan running is in mortal danger. At least that’s what many people in South Korea believe. But is the superstition correct? That’s what the myth is all about.
The summers in South Korea are hot and humid. The thermometer often measures temperatures of more than 30 degrees in the summer months, and it is still relatively warm at night. So it seems like a good idea to cool off with a fan or air conditioner while sleeping. But in the eyes of many South Koreans, that is a deadly risk inside.
The myth of “fan death” – in Korean “seonpunggi samang” – says that you can die if you are in a closed room with an overnight fan or air conditioning. Popular theories about fan death are alleged chemical changes in the air; Air vortices that prevent breathing and hypothermia from the air flow.
Even government authorities warned against fans
In fact, South Korean media reports of deaths allegedly related to fans. The newspaper wrote in an article ten years ago: “According to reports, a man died on Monday morning after sleeping with the fan running. The 59-year-old victim (…) was found dead with the fan pointed directly at him.”
And as if that weren’t enough: even the South Korean consumer protection agency warned in 2006 about the alleged fatal danger of fans. “If the body is exposed to electric fans or air conditioning for too long, this leads to water loss and hypothermia. Direct contact with a fan can lead to death by increasing the carbon dioxide saturation concentration and decreasing the oxygen concentration. The risks are for the elderly and patients Breathing problems higher. “
Between 2003 and 2005, a total of 20 cases were reported in which it was alleged suffocation caused by fans and air conditioning systems. The authorities therefore recommended not to lie directly in the air flow of the fan, to leave the doors open and to use a timer on the device. In fact, many fans in South Korea are sold with time switches that switch off automatically after a period of time.
Experts consider the fan myth to be nonsense
The South Korean fan manufacturer Shinil Industrial Co. even prints warning notices on its products and urges customers to keep the fans away from people at night. “This product can cause suffocation or hypothermia,” says the warning.
Sounds pretty unsettling. But is that right?
One reason the superstitions persist is due to poor investigations by the police, said Yoo Tai-woo, a professor at Seoul National University Hospital. “People believe in fan death because they see – first – a corpse and – second – a running fan,” said Yoo. “But normal, healthy people don’t die because they slept with the fan on.”
Dr. Lee Yoon-song, professor at Seoul National University’s medical school, also thinks the superstition is nonsense. According to the news portal, he autopsied some of the alleged fan deaths and found out that the fan was not the cause of death. Most of the victims are therefore older people who already suffered from serious health problems such as heart or lung diseases or alcoholism. The heat does the rest.
Many theories about the origin of the myth
But where does the myth come from? And why is he still so persistent today?
Some suspect that it was a government campaign to save electricity during the military dictatorship in the 1970s. At that time, it is said to have actually been the first reported death in connection with the “fan death”, according to Reuters.
According to the US magazine, however, an article in a South Korean newspaper warned against the still quite new type of electric fans. This “new technology” could cause nausea, suffocation and facial paralysis. “The rotating fan blades create a vacuum, and the intensity of the air flow that is created always leads to an insufficient supply of oxygen to the lungs,” the newspaper warned at the time.
Dr. Laurence Kalkstein, a University of Miami climatologist. According to him, fans could be a “minor” factor in heat stress and dehydration. “If an elderly person holds a small table fan directly in front of their face to cool down (…), a so-called evaporation possibility arises,” he said “Slate”. “The body’s moisture evaporates much faster and if it isn’t restored quickly enough it can create a heat problem for you.”
“Opening windows is always a good idea”
Kalkstein’s undoing was a visit to the Asian country in 2008 to inform the meteorological administration about heat warning systems. He told a journalist – without knowing the myth of the “fan death” – that people should be careful when using fans in enclosed spaces. His testimony made it to the South Korean media.
Today he is more careful with the wording. His references and the Korean “misconception” would differ significantly. You only have to be careful with fans under certain conditions, and the effect has nothing to do with suffocation or hypothermia, according to “Slate”.
Dr. Lee Yoon song. The media would not do a good job of reporting the facts by posting stories of deaths involving electric fans.
Conclusion: fans are not death with rotor blades. There are other causes that lead to death – although a fan can lead to health problems under certain circumstances. Nonetheless: “In my opinion, however, opening a window is always a good idea as it lets in fresh air and reduces the humidity in the house,” said Arctic biologist Brian Barnes of the Reuters news agency.
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