As temperatures soar above 40°C across Europe, social media is flooded with false and misleading claims. DW fact-checkers examined three viral posts.

Claim 1: 'Spain bans setting air-con below 27°C.' The post, viewed over 800,000 times, is a screenshot of a 2022 Time Out headline. Spain's government temporarily imposed the rule in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis, but it only applied to public buildings and shops, and expired after a year.

Claim 2: 'Sleeping with a fan on is extremely dangerous.' Viewed 1.7 million times, the post claims fans dry out mucous membranes and cause headaches. However, WHO, CDC, and NHS all recommend fans during heatwaves. A 2019 study found elderly participants slept equally well with a ceiling fan at 30°C as with AC at 27°C. However, fans should not be pointed directly at the body to avoid dehydration.

Claim 3: 'Normal summer heat is being called climate change.' This is false. Scientific consensus confirms human-caused warming increases extreme weather. A rapid study by World Weather Attribution found the current heatwave would be 'virtually impossible' without climate change. Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average.

Conclusion: Don't fall for heatwave disinformation. Stick to the facts and stay cool.

Source: www.dw.com