"Fan Death"

[Bikewer]

NPR's The World had a segment on a popular South Korean urban legend tonight,"Fan Death".
This is the notion that if you go to sleep in a closed room with a fan (or perhaps even an air conditioner) on, you'll die.
The reasons given for your untimely demise are rather vague; the reporter did several man-in-the-street interviews and got airy replies along the lines of "the fan would lower the air pressure" and similar nebulous nonsense.

And we thought the South Koreans were a saavy, technologically-advanced group.....

A university professor put up a website explaining how silly the whole idea is, and has been castigated for same, with some wanting her held responsible for "the next death".

According to the story, the myth is so widespread that fans are sold with timers.....

 

[The Atheist]

Hate to burst your bubble, mate, but the subject has had lengthy discussion here.

Strange business.

 

[Bikewer]

First I'd heard of it....

 

[phildonnia]

Trying to put this in cultural perspective, is there an American equivalent of "Fan Death"? I was thinking possibly the well-known danger of going swimming right after eating.

 

[bjb]

I remember the story about a kid dying after he ate some Pop-Rocks and drank a can of soda. I hadn't heard it was Mikey, though:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/poprocks.asp

 

[Dogdoctor]

Trying to put this in cultural perspective, is there an American equivalent of "Fan Death"? I was thinking possibly the well-known danger of going swimming right after eating.

As I recall it was you would get a cramp if you went swimming after eating certain things. I was on a swim team and often swam after eating and so did many of the team mates. Some of the teammates got stomach cramps and puked after eating especially ice cream. No one drowned but then we were in a swimming pool. I always thought there might be something to it in that some people would get violently ill if they swam after eating something and this could lead to drowning in some situations.

 

[Bikewer]

That was "common knowledge" when I was a kid back in the 50s. The nature of the "cramp" was never explained.
I seem to remember reading much later that almost all the deaths that had been attributed to cramping were in fact heart-attacks induced by the exertion of swimming...

 

[Dogdoctor]

There may be a myth associated with the swimming cramps but certain people do get cramps and vomit if they swim after eating certain foods so regardless of what anyone else says I will be skeptical that this is a totally unfounded myth (however most people don't need to worry).
The fan death is another story.

 

[bjb]

What happens if you eat pop rocks, drink soda, and then go swimming?

 

[Dogdoctor]

What happens if you eat pop rocks, drink soda, and then go swimming?

You have your own internal flotation device? (at least till you burp or fart) You see the combination produces gas which is lighter than water which will displace water rendering you more boyant. Of course that effect will decrease as you descend into deeper water due to compression of the gas by the increasing pressure at increasing depth.

 

[phildonnia]

... but certain people do get cramps and vomit if they swim after eating certain foods so regardless of what anyone else says...
The fan death is another story.

But this sounds exactly like some of the outre explanations for why "fan death" could be a danger in certain contrived situations.