"fan death" is certainly a possible phenomenon. it works similar to a convection oven. The US EPA even warns against fan death, though not calling it that.
this comment totally misses the point of the article. but I was sufficiently amused to learn about "real" fan death that I thought it was worth sharing.
>The TWG also strongly recommends that, as part of a public education program, cities
emphasize that portable electric fans are not the simple cooling solution they appear to
be. Because of the limits of conduction and convection, using a portable electric fan alone
when heat index temperatures exceed 99°f actually increases the heat stress the body must
respond to by blowing air that is warmer than the ideal body temperature over the skin
surface (American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs, 1997; CDC, 2004c). In
these conditions, portable electric fans provide a cooling effect by evaporating sweat. The
increased circulation of hot air and increased sweat evaporation can, however, speed the
onset of heat-attributable conditions (e.g., heat exhaustion).
Appendix B also warns you about the extreme dangers of a fan.
Interesting. So the point is not that the fan can kill you, but that:
1. Being in a completely sealed room when it's very hot outside can kill you,
2. Even though it may make you feel cooler, a fan won't really help in that situation, and
3. It may actually make the problem worse by increasing convection of the air and making it hotter.
I'd argue that calling that "fan death" is misleading, as it's really the heat that's causing the health concerns, not the fan. But it's good to keep in mind these kinds of concerns.
To be fair, the danger is during "Extreme Heat Emergencies". The effect they are referring to is when the external air is hotter than your internal body temperature (98.6), and so the external air heats up rather than cools down the body.
From the temperature records I can find, temperatures that high are a once in a lifetime event in South Korea. On the other hand, you would experience such temperatures regularly in Arizona, for example, but if you're living in Phoenix and are at risk for heat death, I'd hope you have AC.
http://askakorean.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/fan-death-is-real.h...
and
http://www.epa.gov/hiri/about/pdf/EHEguide_final.pdf pg43 and appendix B
this comment totally misses the point of the article. but I was sufficiently amused to learn about "real" fan death that I thought it was worth sharing.