Concerns over the Electromagnetic Radiation in hybrid cars

Greetings all,

I'm calling out to you for your personal experiences/observations/ feedback about driving a hybrid car, and exposing yourselves to Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) within the cabin of the car.

Has anyone taken a reading and gotten a Gauss or Tesla measurement?

My prime concern is that Toyota and Honda consider the EMR reading classified information. As hard as I have tried, they would not divulge this information, as such, I gave up my quest for a hybrid, and bought a standard ICE car.

EMR is not something to take lightly. We've all experienced first hand when we watch TV too closely for too long, or worked behind a CRT computer monitor for too long. The long term health effects are not known, but the symptoms are real. These range from standard fatigue to extreme mood swings to cancer.

Based on symptoms alone, a two hour continuous drive in a Prius is equivalent to working behind a CRT computer monitor for 24hrs straight. For the Honda Civic it is 4 hours because the main power line runs under the passenger seat rather than the driver's seat in the Prius.

It is very unfortunate that hybrids are being pushed hard into the market when little is known about EMR. Only recently science are finding Cell Phones are causing an increase in brain cancer, and science is still on the fence about homes built near power lines, which really unfortunately does not help those victims of leukemia. Mood swings is the most visible symptom of EMR exposure. And having EMR exposure while drive would only help drive up the incidences of road rage.

Just my 2 cents.

Concerned and green citizen of this earth.

Reply to
Frederick Thinh-Ball
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This has been kicked around a few times. The fields are pretty much the same as any other car, mostly because the wiring and motors don't leak much flux. The ones you'd worry about are the long DC wires from the battery to the inverter up front, because they pass under the passenger compartment, and the AC leads under the hood. The DC wires are unimportant because there is no energy radiated from DC wires - no change, no energy. The AC wires are short and bundled together so there is minimal flux from those, either.

An important indicator is that the AM radio works just fine. It is the real "canary in the coal mine" for EMs not associated with actual transmitters.

Finally, the concern about EM fields has pretty much been laid to rest. In the '80s there was a lot of concern when a large study of workers in the electric industry showed nearly twice the normal risk for two brain cancers - gliomas and astrocytomas. This led directly to EM radiation standards, especially for consumer products. However, twenty years of intense study has shown no link between EM fields and anything but known heating effects. Most significantly, RF in the UHF range and above can heat the eyeballs and cause cataracts to develop. But cancer - definitely not. Only ionizing radiation is associated with that.

Mike (FCC licensed since 1969 and in the electric industry for 23 years, and still doing just fine/fine/fine... )

Reply to
Michael Pardee

This is baloney--junk science. You need to educate yourself about EM fields without the influence of the media before drawing a conclusion. Read the results of actual scientific studies, not those designed to unfairly influence the layman. I only wish I could point you to some proper sources, but since I am an electrical engineer, I never felt the need to prove or disprove this nonsense.

In the mean time, it's OK to take your razor blades out from under that pyramid. Life is too short to be worrying about these things. If you find yourself becoming obsessed by these ideas, please seek psychological help.

- Doug

Reply to
DougSlug

the biggest study ever on cell phone/brain cancer was recently released from sweden or norway (late last yr) - showed no difference in cancer rates between cell phone addicts and those with no cell phone.

bob

Reply to
bob

Radio Shack sells such a unit. Why don't you buy one; take your measurements; and report back.

BTW, others have done this experiment already and find the interior has no appreciable EMR. But the real answer is to do the experiment.

Bob Wilson

Reply to
Bob Wilson

Symptoms???? That's nothing more than unsubstantiated crap. You experience fatigue and mood swings sitting in front of monitor too long by forcing your body to sit motionless for a long period of time (which is unnatural) and preventing your eye muscles from relaxing by focusing at the same distance for too long (plus the added affect of screen flicker). It has NOTHING to do with EM unless you belong to the tin foil hat brigade. Just for the record I've done numerous 9 hour non-stop drives in the Prius and I haven't experienced any adverse 'symptoms' than when driving other non hybrid vehicles. If anything I've felt happier knowing that my journey has involved far less pollution than other vehicles and it's a very enjoyable car to drive.

Crap. EVERY reputable scientific study has found NO link between mobiles and cancer.

I think you'll find that almost all Prius owners are very pleased about driving their Prius. By your logic the EM radiation is actually providing a positive mood swing which is a good thing.

It's very odd that some people worry about cancer from EMR inside a motor vehicle when one should be far more concerned about the possible bodily harm through an auto accident. How many people died from a car accident last year compared to the number that died of cancer from EM radiation exposure in their car?

Reply to
davmel

or even more to the point, how many additional instances of cancer (and lung and heart disease) caused by the pollution coming out of the tailpipe?

Reply to
Marilyn & Bob

On Mar 8, 12:58 pm, "Frederick Thinh-Ball" wrote: Thank you all for your insights and comments. Most appreciated. good stuff.

Thanks again.

Reply to
Frederick Thinh-Ball

No they're not.

Have you figured out who killed JFK yet? How about Area 51? Oh, is Elvis still alive?

Reply to
Michelle Steiner

Elvis killed JFK and he's still alive.... in Area 51. Geez, Michelle, do I have to spell everything out for you? ;-)

Reply to
Mike Rosenberg

Did you ask for the same EMF information for your standard ICE car?

I do have this info from Toyota:

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Questions for the hybrid battery expert A big part of the "magic" that makes hybrid vehicles work involves high-voltage battery technology. So, it's natural that many of the questions Toyota and its dealers receive are about hybrid batteries. Hybrid Synergy View put questions about batteries to Gary E. Smith, national service technology manager at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. .... Q: Is there any danger from electromagnetic interference or injury resulting from EMI?

GS: No. Toyota hybrids are certified to be at or below World Health Organization standards for non-ionizing radiation, either inside the vehicles or near them.

I'll also note that the Idaho National Laboratory, which has been testing hybrid electric vehicles for accelerated fleet testing, has a certain set of mandatory requirements for vehicles in their HEV America Vehicle Technical Specification, Revision 0. One of which is: '(4) All vehicles shall comply with the FCC requirements for unintentional emitted electromagnetic radiation, as identified in 47 CFR 15, Subpart B, "Unintentional Radiators."' They also have a procedure for testing, seen at

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More data: (I think the hybrids tested are a Classic Prius and a Honda Insight, but you'll have to ask the author for confirmation...)

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Reply to
mrv

Don't feel bad. Some people just aren't cut out for driving hybrids. The responsibility is huge, and then there's the minimum IQ requirement...didn't the dealer tell you about that? Oh...right...when you asked about EMR specs, I guess it was already clear...

Reply to
DougSlug

Y. E. S.

Reply to
Michelle Steiner

Okay, it's E V E R Y T H I N G. ;-)

Reply to
Mike Rosenberg

No, it's E V E R Y T H I N G O U T.

Reply to
Michelle Steiner

It all depends on how you see the invisible, non-stationary quotation marks in my original question. It can be either:

Geez, Michelle, do I have to spell "everything" out for you?

or

Geez, Michelle, do I have to spell "everything out" for you?

Reply to
Mike Rosenberg

Obviously, it's the latter.

Reply to
Michelle Steiner

Gee, I hope this doesn't get silly.

Reply to
Michael Pardee

Do not be concerned Grasshopper -- The Force is watching over you and protecting you from EMF and Alien Brainwaves.

Reply to
Jack

I have similar concerns so whenever I drive my Prius I take the precaution of wearing a protective hat and undergarments. Although you can buy expensive EM-proof garments (e.g. Jock-U-Shield and RadHatPro) I find that it is much more cost-effective to make my own. I use two layers of tin foil for the hat and just one for the underpants (I've already had kids but I need to retain my mental faculties so that I can eventually pay their college fees).

Paul

Reply to
Paul Russell

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