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An electric blanket is a blanket with an integrated electrical heating device usually placed above the top bed sheet. Another variation of the electric blanket is the electric mattress pad, which is placed below the bottom bed sheet. Electric blankets usually have a control unit which adjusts the amount of heat the blanket produces. Blankets for larger sized beds often have separate controls for each side of the bed. The electric blanket may be used to pre-heat the bed before use or to keep the occupant warm while in bed.
Modern electric blankets have carbon fibre wires that are barely noticeable and produce heat on the far infra-red part of the spectrum, penetrating through other clothes and making a better use of every watt. These blankets usually work on 24 volts instead of the 110/240 volts, therefore they are advertised as being a safer, more efficient and more comfortable alternative.
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Safety concerns
Due to the combination of heat, electricity, the abundance of flammable bedding material, and a sleeping occupant, the use of electric blankets is of concern to fire safety officials internationally. Of primary concern are blankets that are older than 10 years and/or have been subject to damage, by creasing, flexing, fraying, or ordinary wear and tear. In the UK, it is estimated that 5,000 fires per year are caused by faulty electric blankets, of which 99% are believed to have been caused by blankets 10 years or older.[1]
Electric blankets also present a burn risk to those who cannot feel pain or are unable to react to it. Individuals included in this group are babies, small children, diabetics, and the elderly.
There are also wildly differing opinions on whether or not electric blankets may increase the possibility of cancer, most significantly breast or womb cancer, due to the electro-magnetic radiation that is generated.
Popular culture
An electric blanket was the reason Bobby turned invisible in the novel Things Not Seen. It turned out the blanket was recalled for unknown reasons, yet Bobby knew that it was because after a while it turned whoever used it invisible. After using the blanket again, Bobby became visible again.
An anthropomorphic-faced cartoon electrical blanket named "Blanky" was portrayed in the 1987 film The Brave Little Toaster .
