Can a fan running in a sealed room cause suffocation or hypothermia?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Suzukigold
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    Death Fan

Do you believe in "fan death"?

  • Yes, it is entirely possible

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, there is absolutely no evidence

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%

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Suzukigold
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Do you believe in "fan death"?

Basically, I stationary fan left on in a sealed room could cause death by either suffocation or hypothermia. I know several researchers in Korea and in California have came out to say that it is all a hoax, but does anyone here know whether it is possible to suffocate from a fan in a room?

http://www.fandeath.net/

As for me, I always leave my fan on at night. I believe the media is hyping the story.
 
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If the room is cold enough and the person does not have a cover, I suppose hypothermia would be possible. But that would be difficult: you'd tend to wake from the cold and put on a blanket. And in a closed room a fan raises the temperature, so there's a very narrow range where this would be possible at all. I think this is highly unlikely, if possible at all.

A fan certainly wouldn't induce suffocation.
 


The poll was closed. This is a technical question and not a matter of opinion.

A fan like this can only create a small pressure differential, perhaps a couple of PSI, and not nearlly enough to cause suffocation.