CDC Warns Against Using Electric Fans in Extreme Heat Due to Health Risks
As Southern California braces for a severe heat wave, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning about the use of electric fans in high temperatures. According to the CDC, using fans when temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit can be counterproductive, as they circulate hot air, potentially increasing body temperature and leading to dehydration and heat-related illnesses. David Eisenman, a professor of medicine and co-director of the UCLA Center for Healthy Climate Solutions, explains that fans can act like convection ovens, warming the body instead of cooling it. The CDC's guidelines are conservative, suggesting that fans should not be used when temperatures exceed 90 degrees, although the World Health Organization sets the threshold at 95 degrees. The heat wave is expected to bring temperatures as high as 115 degrees in some areas, prompting experts to advise alternative cooling methods.