Thread: Electric heaters

Are electric fan heaters harmful to a person's health in anyway?

Originally Posted by saber

Are electric fan heaters harmful to a person's health in anyway?

No, not in the least. Their output is primarily in the IR region of the spectrum - the same as a gas heater or wood fire but almost without the visible component.

There are people who suspect that any electrical powered device produces harmful radiation but that has never been shown to be true despite many large studies performed.

OG is right. The only danger they present is from starting a fire, if placed to close to combustables...or if you try to lick the heating element while it's on.

Are microwaves any different?

Originally Posted by saber

Are microwaves any different?

Not sure what you mean. We don't use microwaves as a source of heat for our homes, only for cooking. Generally speaking, microwaves don't present a problem for people because they are non-ionizing.

The only real danger they pose is that they can interfere with an heart pacemaker and if someone is foolish enough to get right next to the source of fairly high-powered microwaves, there are several possible bad consequences: partial or complete sterilization, blindness from looking directly at the source and cooking the eyes - things like that.

But it would require a very, very careless and foolish individual to do such a thing! People who work around high-powered sources, like radar antennas, are very much aware of the dangers and the general public is kept safely away.