Posted on 10/07/2008 2:39:16 PM PDT by fightinJAG
[snip]
Scientists still do not know the exact mechanisms that cause SIDS, but this study suggests that a fan circulating air while the baby is sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS primarily because the carbon
dioxide the baby breathes out is recirculated around the room and not reinhaled by the baby.
The findings are the latest step in research that has helped reduce the incidence of SIDS by 56 percent between 1992 and 2003. There are still about 2,500 SIDS deaths in the United States each year, according to the American SIDS Institute.
Dr. De-Kun Li, the same researcher who found that using a pacifier can also help reduce risk of the syndrome, was lead author of the Kaiser study.
The results are the first to link use of a fan with SIDS prevention but "are consistent with all previous" research findings that "sleep environment matters," Li said.
Li said parents should follow earlier study findings, in addition to this one. That includes having babies sleep on their backs, avoiding soft bedding, using a pacifier and not sharing a bed with other children.
"A fan is not a replacement for the other recommendations," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Don’t tell the South Koreans that. They really believe that leaving a fan on all night while you sleep can kill you. The electricans in South Korea actually have sleep timers on them to prevent fan death.
More junk science and medical horse manure being pedaled by grant-hungry PhDs establishing cause/effect from a corollary study. My own family fell prey to SIDS. The child’s mother blamed herself for smoking, letting the child sleep on her back, keeping stuffed toys in the crib, etc. We all struggled for years to place blame something that took that sweet baby from us...the “why” of it. Sometimes, the heart just stops beating because a little angel’s been called home to Glory. Perhaps it’s not the fans, but the person setting up and checking the fans? I dunno. Reading this just hurts all over again.
First thing I thought of when I read this. My daughter spent a year in Korea at a college. Her Korean dorm mate totally freaked about the fan. Wouldn't let her use it.
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