Ceiling Fans May Reduce Risk of SIDS, Scientists Say

Posted on: Thursday, 9 October 2008, 18:00 CDT By JEREMY COX Scientists have found a new weapon in the battle against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: a ceiling fan. Children who slept in a room ventilated by a fan had a 72 percent lower chance of dying from SIDS vs. those who did not, according to a study published this month in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. SIDS is the leading cause of death among children below the age of 1, experts say. Scientists haven't pinpointed an exact cause of the syndrome, but one of the major suspicions is that infants smother themselves by breathing exhaled carbon dioxide. The study also said that opening a window in the child's room reduces SIDS risk by 36 percent, according to the authors at the Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland. Previously known... [read full story]