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Location: Official MythBusters Fan Site
Discussion: Fan Death
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amanda7617 amanda7617 |
Fan Death
Mar 20 2008, 12:44 AM EDT I think the crew should do an episode on fan death, the South Korean beleif that sleeping with a fan in the room will lead to death during the night. I've talked to many a person in Korea about this urban legend, and more people are ademently sure it is true that you'de believe. Believers will tell you that death occurs because of hypothermia or axfixiation (apparently a little electric fan can actually destroy oxygen molecules? haha). Even highly educated people...scientists, teachers, etc... believe it! Google "fan death" and you will find an unbelevable number of websites devoted to the subject. Its all pretty funny! 11 out of 15 found this valuable. Do you? |
 bigfun |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 20 2008, 6:37 PM EDT if thats the case i sould be dead then. i sleep with the fan on all night for seven years or longer. 3 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
 DJofCA |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 21 2008, 12:20 AM EDT A lot of westerners should be dead by this myth. Placebo effect? A lot of cultures DO have a "thing" about moving air. Some Slavic countries have superstitions about moving air (needless to say, bus rides in the summer are QUITE the adventure when no one believes in open car windows AND that anyone who hates garlic might be a vampire!) and Chinese Feng Shui has a lot about "wind" directionstoo if I remember (winds entering from the north bring bad luck or something like that)...or maybe it's the evil spirits? Haven't studied it, but a lot of it makes good sense for building an energy efficient house). 4 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
 amy_c |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 21 2008, 12:24 AM EDT Yes, it could be a placebo effect, superstition, etc. Or, it could be something more practical. Perhaps they are using fans with bad wiring over there? Causing deadly housefires? ;-) 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
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bigfun |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 21 2008, 6:30 PM EDT thats it bad fans, wiring. my bed room wind sit to the north in the spring that window is opened to let the frees are in. i even have one on the east side to they both are open at times. bad lock is bad luck. 1 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
 jhjhjh58 |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 22 2008, 5:28 PM EDT i sleep whith a fan on to I have not been efected for 6 years 3 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
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amanda7617 amanda7617 |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 22 2008, 6:16 PM EDT I didnt say I thought it was true...only that a significant population of the world believes in fan death. It would be rather entertaining to disprove scientifically!! Or, maybe there is some super crazy oxygen molecule chopping/sucking fan I've never seen...?? hmmm... 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
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bigfun |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 22 2008, 8:58 PM EDT where do you come up with a SUPER CRAZY OXGEN MOLECULE??!! if there is we all would be in trobel 0 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 martiandrifter01 |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 22 2008, 10:25 PM EDT Sounds like this one's right up there with flying saucer stories. To be fair, some UFO reports are legit, but notice I didn't mention little green men. Um...if you're interested in the ufo thing, check out www.ufodbase.com or www.theblackvault.com. The truth is out there...somewhere! ;) 1 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
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bigfun |
RE: Fan Death
Mar 23 2008, 3:00 PM EDT its the move sings then. they have that dust come out of there finger then 0 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
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tete02 tete02 |
RE: Fan Death
Jun 30 2008, 6:15 PM EDT summer is here and i was talking to my korean girlfriend and this topic came up. and i couldn't believe what she was saying. when she said sleeping with the fan on could kill you, i thought she meant it would explode or something. haha i was so wrong. i even asked my other korean friends and they all believe in fan death, one of them said they knew someone who did die from it. so i googled trying to find a way to disprove my girlfriend and there are three main causes of fan death: hypothermia, suffocation, and carbon dioxide. even after explaining its not possible, or its not even heard of outside of korea, i could not convince them that fan death is not possible. but what gets at me the most is that even the very well college educated people believe this, and what gets at me more is the news even have reports of fan death. I would love to see mythbusters do fan deathjust because i cant believe how many people believe in this and so my girlfriend would let me take a nap with the fan on. and since this is something they grow up believe it is part of their culture and they will always argue for their culture, so proving to them is not as easy as showing them proof. here are some sources i found: http://www.fandeath.net/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqGluU6SfaU 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
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amanda7617 amanda7617 |
RE: Fan Death
Jun 30 2008, 7:11 PM EDT finally! Someone who understands my plight! Isn't it ridiculous? I can't understand how an educated person can claim that fans cause you to asphyxiate by generating CO2 or by way of any of the other equally humorous explanations. It's hysterical! Mythbusters please please please do an episode on fan death! (before the evil fans get us all!) Do you find this valuable? |
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amy_c |
RE: Fan Death
Jul 1 2008, 2:32 AM EDT "summer is here and i was talking to my korean girlfriend and this topic came up. and i couldn't believe what she was saying. when she said sleeping with the fan on could kill you, i thought she meant it would explode or something. haha i was so wrong. i even asked my other korean friends and they all believe in fan death, one of them said they knew someone who did die from it. so i googled trying to find a way to disprove my girlfriend and there are three main causes of fan death: hypothermia, suffocation, and carbon dioxide. even after explaining its not possible, or its not even heard of outside of korea, i could not convince them that fan death is not possible. but what gets at me the most is that even the very well college educated people believe this, and what gets at me more is the news even have reports of fan death. I would love to see mythbusters do fan deathjust because i cant believe how many people believe in this and so my girlfriend would let me take a nap with the fan on. and since this is something they grow up believe it is part of their culture and they will always argue for their culture, so proving to them is not as easy as showing them proof.Holy cow, I can't believe you actually found a site called "FanDeath.Net." LOL! I hadn't even heard of this before. Ceiling fans give me a sore throat, but that is they extent of my fan-related injury. I agree, this would be a great myth to bust on the show. :) Do you find this valuable? |
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reallydisappointed reallydisappointed |
RE: Fan Death
Jul 1 2008, 5:40 AM EDT these are my first "anti-discovery-channel" words EVER!! i just watched an episode of VERMINATORS. "MOBY RAT" it's a decent program, but in this particular episode, the"verminators" were confronted with a BEE "problem" and exterminated an entire hive. oddly enough, with the rising global temperature and the so-called concern that the discovery channel and it's staff have for the desperate condition of our ill fated earth, one would hope that the ultra-rapidly honey bee declining population might be more of a concern to them than to blatantly display the killing of ANY honey bees on television. I'm appalled that the television spokespersons of the "GREEN" generation would allow the killing of such an important element in the worlds food chain to be displayed to the entire viewing population without so much as a measly fucking forum in which to vent one's displeasure!!!! i had to come to the "mythbusters'" forum page to speak my peace! sorry btw. anyway, if the bee population continues to dwindle(BEES ARE DYING), THE WORLD will soon be evolving without such pleasures as grapes, oranges, lemons, limes, and countless other plants that are dependent upon the pollination efforts of the honey bee! PLEASE DO SOME RESEARCH AND PASS THIS INFORMATION TO YOUR FRIENDS! THE WORLD'S FOOD CHAIN IS IN SERIOUS JEOPARDY . 2 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
 PaperLuigi7 |
RE: Fan Death
Jul 1 2008, 9:11 AM EDT As have I. I really doubt that normal house fans have the ability to deprive the air of significant amounts of oxygen. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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PaperLuigi7 |
RE: Fan Death
Jul 1 2008, 9:13 AM EDT "if thats the case i sould be dead then. i sleep with the fan on all night for seven years or longer."Sorry. I meant to quote this in my last reply. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
 weaponsboy |
RE: Fan Death
Jul 1 2008, 2:21 PM EDT I'm not saying that fan death is true, but here's a way it might happen. The faulty wiring's electrical field splits O2 molecules into O & O, thereby rendering the oxygen unbreathable. I may have my molecular science wrong here. 0 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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DJofCA |
RE: Fan Death/Bees
Jul 1 2008, 5:01 PM EDT This is "Fan Death", not "things I didn't like on Mythbusters" - you would be better off starting a new thread. That said, I love bees. My dad kept bees in the "good old days" (pre-mite, pre-africanized, etc.) and used to rescue hives that people wanted removed and put them in bee boxes in avocado orchards ( My Dad was happy to get free bees, the homeowners were happy to have them gone, the bees were happy with the trees, and the orchard owners were happy for the pollination service, so it was win win win win!). Starting at age 6 my Dad taught us about bees - their history, usefulness, life cycle, reproduction, habits, hive management, the traits of different varieties, how to treat bee stings, etc. etc. etc. I've had my own bee hive, I've lived in a house that had had a beehive in it for decades without any problem. I hate to kill any bees, try to release them when they get caught in the house, rescue them from drowning, etc....HOWEVER I also understand if a hive has to be removed because it is in a place that is unsafe for humans.. Given the number of people who are highly allergic (can die, not just swelling), IMHO bees hives should not be left in public buildings, apartment buildings, playgrounds, pools, etc. Due to the influx of Africanized bees here in California many bee keepers are unwilling to take "feral" bees because they don't want to risk dealing with "contaminated" genetics (africanized bees multiply quicker, and are extremely aggressive). Like many critters, problem for the bees is in their habitat, so preserving an individual hive or two isn't the solution. In a healthy environment the number of bee hives will multiply rapidly up to the carrying capacity of the local food sources, then stabilize. BTW, I don't know if last years decline of bees applied to urban settings or if it was mostly commercial bees that were affected. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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jamesthefishy jamesthefishy |
RE: Fan Death
Jul 3 2008, 5:39 PM EDT No way can it cause hypothermia, first off I don't know about you but my body automatically grabs the covers and rolls up in them if it gets too cold, or I am already under the covers. "The blowing fan somehow creates a vacuum around your face area, which prevents you from breathing correctly. The result is death." This could be possible because it is harder to breath when air is being forced down your lungs. Try sticking your head out side of a moving car, hard to breath but very possible still. That and I really can't fall asleep if something is blowing on my face... How about you guys? "Another suggests that fans use up oxygen and create fatal levels of carbon dioxide in the room. " Umm... a fan using oxygen, it pushs the gases not uses them... YOU would create the carbon dioxide. This would be busted FAST. 1 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
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t3359 t3359 |
RE: Fan Death
Jul 5 2008, 12:27 PM EDT I've been debating this with my wife for a while. Few things that don't jive: - I haven't heard it reported in North America (or maybe even outside of South Korea?) - the disassociation of O2 molecules obviously doesn't make any sense - the asphyxiation theory doesn't make sense to me either (creating a votex or vacuum using a fan?) - I've even seen a website saying that pets were driven to insanity by disturbances caused by a fan http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/Fan_death http://gypsyscholarship.blogspot.com/2007/10/nevertheless-fan-death-is-real.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death#Published_professional_opinion Things to think about: - homes in South Korea are very small, and (possibly) much more air-tight than North American ones - they do not use a vented heating system, but have radiant floors - these could contribute to the air in the room to become more contained (and not exchanged with external air) - as jamesthefishy says, I assume that the person isn't sleeping with the fan blowing full in the face Now if it does happen, my guess would be that the fan circulates the air and causes the air mass to have much more uniform temperature in the room. This means that there is no longer the gradient from our skin to the rest of the air in the room. I would think that this may end up cooling the body to the room temperature (say 30-degrees), and that doing this is fatal. Yes, I think a freezing person may wake up or their bodies may be able to generate enough heat to keep them alive, but as Dr. Lee Yoon-Song (see the Wikipedia link) says, they may have been aflicted by other things (weakened by disease or intoxicated). just my opinion... bjl 4 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
