Clinical trial: Electric fans & Heat Index - Can Fans Increase Body Temperature & Discomfort?

[datsgucci]

An interesting new clinical trial has been released on the effects of electric fans in low and high heat index scenarios.

Heat index is a combined value of temperature and relative humidity.

The Effects of Electric Fan Use Under Differing Resting Heat Index Conditions: A Clinical Trial

Researchers recruited 12 men to be seated in a room for two hours at a time in four unpleasant scenarios differing in relative humidity and temperature.

Measurements of heart rate, sweat level and body temperature were recorded before and after the experimentation. Also a measure of comfort was obtained.

This is my understanding: the men felt more comfortable and displayed less cardiac stress in the hot & humid room (higher heat index) condition with a fan on. In the hot and dry condition (lower heat index), the men were worse on every measure comparative to the same no fan condition.

This is significant considering that fan usage has been formally inadvisable in conditions were the heat index is over the body temperature. This study contradicts this, suggesting the lower heat index scenario as being more detrimental with fan usage.


The participant sample is tiny, and I believe that replication would be necessary, particularly at non-resting heart rates.


What's your opinion?

[miajane]

haha there's research on everything i swear

[bungalow]

So this means that some dehumidifiers are a bad then if they're used with a fan. The catch to some dehumidifiers is they make the room warmer.
Air conditioners are better anyway.

[technom]

It's interesting that they used pedestal fans and not ceiling fans which have dual settings for summer and winter, if that makes any difference to their research.