Yes, you should not sit close to a heater, especially if it is an electric heater with a fan. This is because the direct airflow can lead to drying and sometimes burning of your skin, and you also face the risk of nodding on the heater, which could cause severe burns and other risks.
Burns: If you sit too close to a space heater, there is a risk of thermal burns. Skin can become damaged if it comes into direct contact with a hot surface or if the heat is intense enough.
Exposing skin to high heat and extreme warm temperature may cause burning of the epidermal layer and can induce dryness and rashes as well. Excessive use of heaters can also cause reduction in moisture levels. An exposure to this dry air leads to redness and rashes on the skin.
Potential health issues
Indeed, if you sit too close to an infrared heater, you can experience blotchy skin, so there is damage occurring at a cellular level. Also, if you overheat, you sweat. While this isn't an issue with convector heaters that gently heat and circulate the air, it is a problem with infrared heat.
The CPSC calls it the “3-foot rule,” and it's pretty simple: Avoid placing a space heater within 3 feet of anything flammable. Some manuals list curtains, papers, furniture, pillows, and bedding as objects to stay away from.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
It is essential to have a functioning carbon monoxide detector in your home and to ensure proper ventilation when using a space heater. Never leave a space heater unattended, especially when sleeping.
Unlike traditional space heaters that emit high levels of EMFs, near zero EMF heat emitters are designed to emit radiation levels that are considered safe for human exposure.
Near IR can be harmful to the eyes because it penetrates as far as the cornea (Voke, 1999). Uncontrolled, frequent, or long-term exposure to Near Infrared can also cause thermal burns and ageing effects such as “Bakers Arms” or “Glassblowers Face” (Cho & others, 2009).
Unlike traditional saunas, infrared saunas use infrared light to heat your body directly, making the session feel more comfortable. For first-time users, it's recommended to start with shorter stays, like 10-15 minutes. Gradually, as your body adapts, you can increase this duration to 20-30 minutes per session.
Overusing the heater or using an oversized heater can result in elevated levels of carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide fumes in the air. These fumes can cause cold or flu-like symptoms, headaches, and eye, nose and throat irritation. Don't use these heaters as your main heat source, even during power failures.
Space heaters often cause very dry air; this can irritate your sinuses, dry your lips and skin and cause other irritating conditions like nosebleeds and rashes.
Keep the space heater at least 3 feet away from combustible materials, such as furniture, bedding, and curtains. A taller heater may need to be even farther away. Don't use a heater in a workshop or garage near flammable paints, gas cans, or matches. Turn it off when you leave the room or go to bed.
According to recent research, prolonged exposure to heat, including bathing in boiling water, using a hot water bottle, and regularly sitting close to a heater, can lead to Erythema Ab Igne (EAI). EAI is a condition that causes mottled, reddish-brown spots on the skin.
Though it is a benign rash that resolves quickly within a few weeks to months, rare complications decades after exposure include transformation into cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and heat-induced basal cell carcinoma in regions of the body without direct sun exposure, such as the perineum [5 ...
While electric space heaters do not produce carbon monoxide (CO), non-electric space heaters (propane gas, natural gas, kerosene, wood) can if incomplete combustion occurs. If these types of heaters are in use, it is recommended that a working CO detector be used to indicate the presence of high-level CO gas.
Sealed combustion heaters are much safer to operate than other types of space heaters, and operate more efficiently because they do not draw in the heated air from the room and exhaust it to the outdoors. They are also less likely to backdraft and adversely affect indoor air quality.
The heat can in fact be beneficial to skin to a certain extent: infrared heat in the form of infrared lamps is used for medical purposes such as treating pain, circulation problems, stiff joints, inflammation etc. However, excessive heat can also cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and burns.
What is the difference between infrared and space heating? The main difference between infrared heating and space heating is that space heaters heat the air within a space, whereas infrared heaters heat objects, surfaces and people directly rather than the air.
But before you fire it up, be prepared that feeling nice and toasty may also come with a stuffy nose, dry throat, cough or even a headache. These cold-like symptoms are referred to as "heater sickness." “This happens because dust, pollen and other allergens accumulate in your ducts during the warmer months,” Dr.
We understand why people look at infrared heating—it sounds energy efficient. But in reality, infrared heaters need to stay on longer to maintain warmth, and because they only heat what they directly touch, they often end up using more energy than expected.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), space heaters account for 43% of home heating fires and 85% of home heating deaths. They can also be a hazard in the workplace. While there are no federal safety rules prohibiting space heaters at a worksite, you should follow local rules and regulations.
Cooking. Unattended cooking is listed as the number one cause of residential fires.
Absolutely. The US Department of Energy records about 25,000 house fires every year that are linked to a space heater fire.