Electric blankets

[edit] Checking it

Electric blankets cause more than 250 fires a year. But there are simple ways to stop that happening to you.

If your blanket (or its flex) shows any of these danger signs, you should have it checked or replaced:

• Fraying fabric
• Scorch marks
• Exposed elements
• Creasing or folding
• Soiling
• Damp patches
• Tie tapes damaged or missing
• Worn flex
• Loose connections
• An old BEAB safety mark - a round symbol (the new sign is white capital letters on a black background). This means it is more than 10 years old.

[edit] Keeping Warm During Pregnancy: Pregnant Electric Blanket

The concept of pregnant electric blanket is a long debated one for every aspiring mother, with several sides to the argument and multiple conclusions. There are claims of associated risks as well as comfort and benefits, so the use of electric blankets during pregnancy is a choice that should be made carefully focusing on the product and its uses in every household once the clear blue pregnancy test confirms pregnancy.

Pregnancy electric blanket is a regular feature of most households located in colder areas, often suffering from sub zero temperature cycles. The intense cold wave of the winter months coupled with the overall chilling climate makes the presence of an additional heat source an absolute must for would be mothers who fear that the biting cold might damage the growing fetus.

An electric blanket keeps a person warm and comfortable even in extreme temperatures and helps in proper fetal growth by providing a warm, optimized environment. The major concerns regarding the product come from two channels of overheating and electromagnetic fields. However, extensive studies on both potential risks have led to inconclusive findings, making electric blankets an important maternal care product to protect the fetus from nature’s cold wrath.

Several reports claim that the high temperatures that a person can be exposed to on account of use of an electric blanket can lead to future neural tube defects in children because of intense hyperthermia. However, the studies are inconclusive as electric blankets do not hold such a high temperature for an extended period of time as compared to other heating devices like the sauna. The entire association of electric blankets and pregnancy with electromagnetic EMF waves is another cause for debate, again leading to outdated and simulated results and deductions.

Electric blankets have an extremely weak EMF pattern that is not supposed to harm anyone physically because of extended interaction. Most studies related to its potential risks have been conducted in simulated test environments which cannot replicate the complex conditions of pregnancy in real life, thereby rendering the results inconclusive.

It can be pretty much established that the entire concept of electric blankets during pregnancy has no adverse effects. Still, some precautions like checking all plug outlets and fiber cables for damages and not keeping the blanket plugged in all the time is advised.

It is best not to use the blanket during the last stage of labor when the water breaks. However, it is perfectly alright for any would be mother to enjoy that extra warmth on a cold winter night because of a pregnant electric blanket soothing her senses.