Posted on 05/10/2008 3:52:26 PM PDT by billorites
ALMOST without exception, scientists and policy makers agree that hybrid vehicles are good for the planet. To a small but insistent group of skeptics, however, there is another, more immediate question: Are hybrids healthy for drivers?
There is a legitimate scientific reason for raising the issue. The flow of electrical current to the motor that moves a hybrid vehicle at low speeds (and assists the gasoline engine on the highway) produces magnetic fields, which some studies have associated with serious health matters, including a possible risk of leukemia among children.
With the batteries and power cables in hybrids often placed close to the driver and passengers, some exposure to electromagnetic fields is unavoidable. Moreover, the exposure will be prolonged — unlike, say, using a hair dryer or electric shaver — for drivers who spend hours each day at the wheel.
Their concern is not without merit; agencies including the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute acknowledge the potential hazards of long-term exposure to a strong electromagnetic field, or E.M.F., and have done studies on the association of cancer risks with living near high-voltage utility lines.
“The results that we saw were quite concerning,” he said. “We saw high levels in the vehicle for both the driver and left rear passenger, which has prompted us to explore shielding options and to consider advocating testing of different makes and models of hybrid vehicles.”
In a statement, Toyota said: “The measured electromagnetic fields inside and outside of Toyota hybrid vehicles in the 50 to 60 hertz range are at the same low levels as conventional gasoline vehicles. Therefore there are no additional health risks to drivers, passengers or bystanders.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Well, I certainly wouldn’t buy a hybrid. They’re very expensive, they don’t get the mileage they advertise, and I’m not convinced that they will save the planet. Quite the reverse, probably, with all those batteries and electric motors to recycle or dispose of.
I’ve been told that there are areas within modern chopper-regulated diesel-to-AC locomotoves into which humans must not venture when under power, because of high-strength radiated fields.
Funny, I haven’t heard about any safety studies being done on them.
Should I throw out my telephones and hard drives just to be on safe side?
LOL, you do an excellent impersonation of a... well, let's just say it rhymes with boron.
Quotation from your FIRST LINK:
I purchased a Mariner several years ago. It has consistantly provided better mileage than was advertised. I have gotten as high as 32 MPG in hiway conditions.
It’s parts are recycleable. What’s the problem with that?
Tell you what, I’m happy with the vehicle. It has served my purposes very well.
“They’re very expensive, they don’t get the mileage they advertise” What is expensive? My 2006 Prius cost around 25K, I getting over all around 53 MPG and many times over 60 MPG if I take it easy on the gas pedal. No watermellon( green on the outside red in the middle) here! Just thrifty.
Additionally, the only point of contention in all of them is the link between EMF and one particular type of leukemia called ‘ALL’.
This is why I even wonder why so much is made out of the link to begin with. ALL is very rare and affects something like less than one in 4000 people, assuming that prolonged periods of proximity to EMF doubles your chances of getting the disease, you would still have a less than one in 2000 chance of being afflicted.
In short, I don't know what all the fuss is about.
Perhaps I was trying to impersonate you.
Me either.
Currents (which induce magnetic fields) have an influence on charged particles.
Currents (which induce magnetic fields) have an influence on charged particles.
IF there is a breakthrough in battery design, a car could be built with 3 batteries, controlled by a computer, with solar cells in the roof, hood, and trunk, and a small gas powered generator to keep the batteries up. The computer would switch batteries when their charge fell to a certain level and they would be re-charged while not being used. The key is being able to make batteries light enough. (nano-tech.?) The car would never need any other charge, but an ac charger could also be incorporated. dream on.
“Should I throw out my telephones and hard drives just to be on safe side?”
Yes you should. just to be safe send your plasma TV to me for safety testing.
The concern over E/M fields has to do with how they interfere with electro-chemical reactions in the body. Just like the various scanning technologies like MRI work by exposing the body to various frequencies that cause various atoms in the body to resonate and then radiate a signal.
It appears that the science is far from being settled on any real risks.
You don't buy a hybrid to save the planet.
But rather to demonstrate your environmental bona fides and to flaunt your moral superiority.
OK, while also letting everyone know that you have teeny-tiny mouse sized genitals...
...which you've never had occasion to use.
Not since the airport bathroom in Minneapolis...
Mr. Robinson I have here in my hand a list of 205 . . . a list of names that were made known to me as being owners of hybrid vehicles and who nevertheless are still posting and lurking at Free Republic. . .
I’ve not seen any real proof of cancers caused by proximity to high tension wires. There’s a lot of anecdotal ‘evidence’, but the actual scientific studies have been ambiguous, at best.
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