[Quietcars] Are hybrids Health risks?

[michael townsend]

>From the New York Times:

Resource:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/06/health-risks-o
f-hybrid-cars-have-been-misrepresented-by-the-media.aspx?PageIndex=2



After my comments, a very interesting article as I've cited the resource.  

I'm on a quiet car list sponsored by the NFB, but found this after dealing
with some other issues of quietness, and finding that a solution of making
hybrids noisy enough to hear them but quiet enough to make tem a
satisfactory vehicle is more impossible that real.  

This article points out some of the misconceptions and idiosyncrasies of the
hybrid issue as a whole and it just goes to show that nobody's satisfied.
It's time for tree huggers and power trippers to unite and do something for
the good of the nation in these troubled times.  

Mike T in New Jersey

Health Risks of Hybrid Cars Have Been Misrepresented by the Media
hybrid, electric car, prius, EMF, electromagnetic fields, gauss
A New York Times
article published earlier this year raised questions about the health risks
of electromagnetic
fields (EMFs) in hybrid or electric vehicles.
EMFs have been linked to serious health matters, including cancer and a
potential
risk of leukemia among children, so limiting exposure is in your best
interest.
However, a safety report by
Stan Hartman
, an environmental health consultant in Boulder, CO, specializing in
electropollution,
found that hybrid vehicles are not a problem for your health.
“There were a lot of misleading statements in the recent NY Times article,
including
claims of 100 mG fields, which are causing alarm,” Hartman said.
“It's next to impossible to get accurate readings in a moving vehicle. Since
there
was no lift available to simulate road resistance to the drive train in a
constant
external EMF atmosphere, the results of this testing are only approximate at
best.”
Sources:
The New York Times April 27, 2008
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Dr. Mercola
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
There’s no disputing that hybrid cars are good for the environment. But
lately another
issue has been raised: Are hybrids healthy for the drivers and passengers?
It’s a legitimate question. I’ve written extensively on the
dangers of electromagnetic fields (EMF)
 myself, and have previously warned you about the potential dangers these
hybrid
vehicles might pose.
The flow of electrical current to the motor of a hybrid vehicle produces
magnetic
fields, which studies have associated with serious health risks, including a
heightened
risk of leukemia among children.
Additionally, since the batteries and power cables in hybrids are often
placed close
to the driver and passengers, it’s likely that some exposure to
electromagnetic fields
is unavoidable. And the exposure is a prolonged one as many drivers spend
hours each
day at the wheel.
So, should you buy a hybrid? Or are you gambling with your health while
making an
effort to go green?
Electro-Pollution Specialist Weighs in On the Potential Dangers
Stan Hartman is an environmental health consultant in Boulder, CO,
specializing in
electro-pollution. He believes the article featured in
The New York Times
 contains many misleading statements that may frighten people unnecessarily.
“There's no more difficult a situation to try to get accurate EMF readings
in than
a moving car, and the errors will almost certainly be to exaggerate toward
the high
end,
he states.
With instruments that tend to do that already, and don't claim high accuracy
to begin
with (6 decibels compared to less than 1 for a good professional meter),
they end
up scaring people unjustifiably.”
Hartman, who conducted his own EMF safety test of a 2007 Toyota Prius
Hybrid, offered
the following corrections and explanations to the
Times article above:
1. Trifield meters are useful, but it's important to be aware of their
sensitivity to
high frequencies when trying to determine ELF levels, and of the fact that
standard
Trifields, unlike most gaussmeters, are frequency-weighted. Higher
frequencies read
as higher magnetic fields.  So a 120 Hz field will read twice as high as a
60 Hz
field, a 180 Hz field three times too high, etc., and they have significant
sensitivity
as high as 100 kHz, and some residual sensitivity to 100 MHz – on the
magnetic, not
radio/microwave setting. This can result in wildly high readings if they're
interpreted
as ELF when higher frequencies are present (like near the floorboards of
cars with
electronic ignitions, which include many more vehicles than just the Prius
and other
hybrids).
2. AC magnetic field readings were consistently higher on the rear seats
than on the
front seats. Measurements in the rear passenger compartment were made in the
center
of the seats, away from the doors, to avoid confusion with the ELF magnetic
fields
from the magnetized, revolving steel wires in the tires.  Tire fields are
too low-frequency
to be detected by most gaussmeters, which have 30 or 40 Hz low-frequency
filters
to keep them stable while moving in the earth's field, but they're present
in most
if not all vehicles, even those with "polyester-belted" radials, which still
have
significant steel in them. They're usually confined to within a few inches
of the
back doors.
3. ELF magnetic fields were highest when both the gasoline engine and the
electric motor
were running – when the vehicle was warming up, accelerating, climbing even
slightly,
or charging the battery. During hard acceleration, they could reach 6 or 8
mG at
seat level on the rear seats, diminishing higher up from the seats.
4. Operating on the electric motor alone, the readings in the back were
usually less
than 3 mG at seat level, diminishing upward to about 0.4 mG at head level.
Average
readings on the seats in the back under different driving conditions were
around
2.8 mG.
5. At the surface of the back seats, the highest AC magnetic fields were
found to be
oriented perpendicular to the ground, but this may have been simply because
the pickup
coils could be held closer to the seats in that position.
6. At 60 Hz (actually between 54 and 66 Hz), levels were less than 1 mG at
the places
of highest exposure, on the rear seats.
7. For VLF magnetic fields (2-300 kHz), there was a regular fluctuation
between approximately
0.6 and 12 mA/m (0.0075 – 0.15 mG) when the gasoline engine was engaged.
Levels were
4-6 mA/m (0.05 – 0.075 mG) when operating on the electric motor alone.
8. There was a less than 0.3 mG, constant, approximately 6 Hz pulse coming
from the
bottom of the door frames, on the left side only.
9. There was an area of low-to-medium power density (depending on your point
of view
– it was less than 1 uW/cm
2
) high frequencies (> 10 MHz), apparently originating from the smart key
slot, on
the dash to the right and below the steering wheel. It extended 14 or 15
inches toward
the driver's seat, where it diminished into the low nanowatt range. The
driver's
knees and right hand would be exposed to it. It might affect Trifield
readings, and
may be similar to readings for smart-key systems in other types of vehicles.
10. There was an approximately 8 kV static electric field on the driver's
door arm rest.
11. The NY Times article's statements about Trifields and other AC
gaussmeters not measuring
DC fields is misleading – that “the meter is set up to test alternating
current fields,
whereas the power moving to and from a hybrid vehicle's battery is direct
current.”
Direct current motors, when they're spinning, put out alternating fields as
well
as DC fields, which are detectable on an AC gaussmeter when their rpms are
within
the meter's frequency range. I'm not sure what the rpm ranges are on hybrid
electric
motors, but when testing it's important to test with a meter that at least
goes into
the low VLF range (2 kHz), and with a VLF meter as well.
12. Toyota's statement that the 50-60 Hz fields in the Prius are comparable
to conventional
gasoline-powered vehicles appears to be correct, but fields are higher at
other extremely-low-frequencies
on the back seats.
Recommendations
Hartman’s recommendation for Prius owners is to provide some kind of
comfortable
elevation above the back seats for long trips, and avoid seating children in
the
back for very long unless they're in a car seat that significantly elevates
them
above the seat – preferably the center seat, which is already slightly above
the
side seats and safer from side impacts.
It's also best to avoid hard acceleration. There's a general reverse
correlation
between fuel economy and magnetic field exposure – the higher the mpg at any
moment
(which can be constantly displayed on the center touch screen), the lower
the magnetic
fields.
Additionally, he notes you may also receive less high-frequency exposure if
you keep
the smart key inserted in the slot on the dash while driving, instead of in
your
pocket or purse, so the system doesn't have to keep "looking for it."
However, he
was unable to confirm this during his testing, and it's not certain that the
high
frequencies around the smart key slot were in fact from the smart key
system.
Some May Be More Sensitive Than Others
All of that said, I still believe you need to use your own best judgment and
not
ignore the issue if you find that you are sensitive or
“allergic” to electromagnetic fields
 – a health concern that is on the rise and gaining more attention.
And some of the concern over high EMF levels in hybrids comes straight from
drivers
who claim that their hybrids make them ill.
One such case is Neysa Linzer, who concluded that her new Honda Civic Hybrid
caused
her elevated blood pressure, and that EMFs were the reason for her falling
asleep
while driving on three occasions.
Naturally, if you’ve already been diagnosed with Electromagnetic
Hypersensitivity
Syndrome (EHS), or experience pain or other symptoms while exposed to
electrical
appliances, computers, wireless internet or cell phones, you will likely
need to
pay particular attention to potential exposures in your car as well, no
matter how
low.
For others, however, Hartman’s findings may offer some reassurance that
choosing
a hybrid is still a viable option, although other alternatives that may be
far better
are showing up on the horizon, such as
cars that run on compressed air
. No word yet on whether or not they too produce questionable levels of EMF

Related Articles:
The Best Alternative Energy Car
Radical New Gas Alternative That Your Kids Will be Using
Electromagnetic Fields May Cause Cancer
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campeau.serge
[ Joined on 06/06 ] [ Posted on
December 7, 2008
]
5 Points
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Apprentice User
I always find it funny when I read comments on this subject from lay people.
I have a master degree in engineering and my project was on a hybrid
vehicle.
katchi and others you're really off the track.
1. Hybrid cars so far are not plug in. They DO works, since they are driven
like
any other cars, run on gas only and use less gas, period.
2. Batteries used in hybrids cars are Ni-MH and are not polluting at all,
which is
not the case with Ni-Cd.
3. Pure electric vehicles are the best solution for those who have no
problem with
the limited range. Power plants that runs on coal are much more efficient
than a
car combustion engine and also pollute less per kW. You cannot put a big,
heavy and
expensive pollution control system on a car. Furhermore, electricity
production is
not all "dirty" like from coal. Here in Québec, almost all our electricity
is perfectly
clean hydro-electricity and we sell a good part of it in the US. Not
considering
the other means like wind and solar which will increase slowly. Overall,
that would
be still better to transfert a good part of the vehicles energy load on the
electric
network even considering all the losses involved.
4. Hydrogen cars are bullshit on the short term. So far, cheap hydrogen
production
could only be achived from petrol. Hydrogen storage in cars is still very
problematic.
Considering the high cost of hydrogen, cars would not run with combustion
engine
(even though it's very easy to do) but rather with fuel cells which give
electric
power directly from hydrogen with a much better efficiency than a combustion
engine.
But, again, fuel cells are not ready yet and could still take a lot of time
to be
reliable, cheap and mass produced.
5. Magnetic fields could certainly be present in hybrid cars and even worse
in all
electric cars. But I don't think it could be comparable with the kind of
field many
workers sustain 8 hr/day in many industries (near huge motors, generators,
inductive
melter in foundry, etc.)
Serge

Mike Townsend and Seeing Eye dog Brent
Dunellen, New Jersey  08812
emails:  mrtownsend at optonline.net; 
michael.townsend54 at gmail.com
Home Phone:  732  200-5643
Cellular:  732  718-9480