A new study by researchers at the University of Ottawa throws cold water on the idea that fans can effectively cool you down during extremely hot weather events.
A new study by researchers at the University of Ottawa throws cold water on the idea that fans can effectively cool you down during extremely hot weather events.
With severe heat waves becoming more frequent due to climate change, there’s a growing need for safe and accessible ways to keep people cool, especially vulnerable populations like older adults. Fans are often recommended as cheap and easy solutions, but this study suggests they might not be as helpful as previously thought.
The research was led by post-doctoral fellow Robert Meade and was conducted at the Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unitnorth_eastexternal link at the University of Ottawa , a unit led by Dr. Glen Kenny, who is a professor of physiology at the Faculty of Health Sciences.
“Fans do improve sweat evaporation, but this effect is not strong enough to significantly lower your body’s internal temperature when it’s already really hot (above 33-35°C). In older adults, who may have a reduced ability to sweat, fans provide even less cooling benefits,” explains Meade. “In fact, even in younger adults, fans only provide a small fraction of the cooling power of air conditioning.”
Read more at University of Ottawa
Photo Credit: Bru-nO via Pixabay
