It is 11 in the morning on a working day in mid-July in Barcelona and the humidity and heat are starting to become difficult to manage. Stephany Hijar, a 25-year-old student, walks with both hands occupied: in one, the mobile phone; in the other, a handheld fan. Her sister-in-law gave it to her this year and she admits that it is now a must-have for going out on the street. Until last summer, it was the fan that helped her mitigate the heat, but she got tired of fanning herself.
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Waiting at the bus stop, hairdresser Núria Rendón (52 years old) refreshes herself, her daughter, and her daughter’s friends with a small pink fan. At home, she has fans “from my grandmother and my great-great-grandmother,” she jokes. But the heat and menopause have forced her to switch to technology, she says. A friend who runs a hardware store explained the benefits of these fans to her and she decided to buy one for 15 euros. “It has a phone charger, if I need it,” explains this citizen who admits that for her it is now an almost vital object for going out on the street.
The fan remains for many citizens (or citizens, because the most loyal audience is female) an essential item to withstand extreme heat in a hot space, whether indoors or outdoors. But in recent years another gadget, also imported from the East, is starting to gain ground among citizens (although here, again, it is more about female citizens): individual fans. They provide air effortlessly by pressing a button and there are already all kinds of prices and increasingly more models: from the classic handheld one to the one that hangs around the neck. Sellers describe this rising product as a “real success” for coping with the scorching city asphalt. However, doctors warn that its use can lead to risky behaviors or overexposure because it cools with less effort than the fan, and they ask that the use of these devices does not lower the guard regarding heat protection.
Fighting the heat
Sales boom: “It ends up being an impulsive purchase”
The prices of these fans range from three euros if bought at a neighborhood bazaar to 40 if you want a more sophisticated model in a large store. The fact that the product is experiencing a real boom is confirmed by the data. At MediaMarkt, for example, handheld fans have recorded “growth close to 70%,” say sources from the German multinational. And among the fan (no pun intended) of models, small-sized ones and also branded headband fans are the best sellers. They place them at the checkout lines, so they admit that “it ends up being a very impulsive purchase, boosted by its low cost and the heat wave we are suffering.”
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Protecting yourself from high temperatures
“There is a risk of overconfidence,” doctors warn
These devices help to withstand the heat, but does their use carry risks? Experts approve them as a relief measure, but warn that their use should not create a false sense of protection and that other measures should continue to be adopted, such as not exposing oneself to the sun during peak hours or following a good hydration routine. “There is a risk of overconfidence,” admits Alfredo Guillén, an intensive care doctor at Vall d’Hebrón Hospital in Barcelona. The doctor recalls that these devices are very popular in countries like China or Japan, with “humidity levels similar to ours,” and that they are nothing more than a “modern version of the fan,” but the fact that no effort is needed to get air can lead to “unnecessarily exposing oneself to the sun.” He warns that receiving direct air can create the sensation of better coping with extreme heat and that this “should not lead to neglecting other equally important measures.” Dr. Olga Torres, director of the Geriatrics Unit at Sant Pau Hospital, expresses a similar view. She acknowledges that these devices provide a feeling of comfort but can carry the risk of exposing oneself “more than necessary” to the heat. Therefore, she reminds that it is advisable not to do so during the central hours of the day and that one must continue drinking plenty of water despite not feeling thirsty.
Extreme heat makes the industry constantly come up with solutions. And if the sale of ceiling fans continues to grow summer after summer at a rate “above 50%,” individual fans are now joining in. All this, the company explains, confirms consumers’ interest in “increasingly varied” air conditioning solutions to cope with high temperatures.
Among the variety of existing devices, some also allow freeing the hands by hanging around the neck or in the form of a headband. The latter was one of Rendón’s options, which she finally discarded due to the high price. Despite having affection for the fan and admitting that she still uses it occasionally, for this woman the fan is a true salvation, although she sees the drawback that she must remember to charge it, something that does not happen with the fan. Hijar has not completely abandoned the fan either, especially because the fan’s battery, which she always keeps pointed at her face, runs out quickly, she says. And although she never leaves home without the fan, she also does not forget to hydrate or protect herself with cream.
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