We know that hybrid vehicles are better for the environment, but could they pose a health threat for occupants? While it may sound silly, scientists have a legitimate reason for posing such a question. As with all electronic devices, hybrid vehicles emit electromagnetic fields, which have been proven to cause serious health risks. The real question is, do hybrids create a big enough E.M.F. to pose a health risk to those inside?
While we’re constantly bombarded with E.M.F.’s throughout our day-to-day lives — produced from everything from cell phones to light bulbs — there is no federally mandated standard for acceptable levels of exposure. But some organizations, such as the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, do recognized that long-term exposure to a strong E.M.F. can lead to cancer, says the New York Times.
So while the risk is there, there is no smoking gun to link hybrids to cancer-causing levels of E.M.F.’s. That being said, more research still needs to be done to conclude that there are no health risks involved in driving a hybrid vehicle. “It would be a mistake to jump to conclusions about hybrid E.M.F. dangers, as well as a mistake to outright dismiss the concern,” Jim Kliesch, a senior engineer for the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the New York Times. “Additional research would improve our understanding of the issue.”
Toyota and Honda — the two leaders in hybrid vehicle production — both claim that their hybrid vehicles are safe and emit about the same level of E.M.F.’s as gasoline powered cars, although it’s hard to validate this claim since there is no standard for a safe level of exposure.
For those hybrid drivers that spend an above average amount of time behind the wheel, the concern grows.
So while it remains unclear if hybrids are actually hazardous to our health, it’s fairly obvious that more testing needs to be done.
04/29, 3:28 PM
posted by:
injunraiv
So, Toyota and Honda are hazardous to our health?
04/29, 3:31 PM
posted by:
C6Racer
I knew it!! Hybrids are pure evil!!!
04/29, 3:31 PM
posted by:
murphy1
oh crap…..ive put 50,000 miles on my prius last year…..guess i dont have long.. good bye cruel world….lol!
04/29, 3:37 PM
posted by:
xyunya
Yep, Toyota & Honda are extremely hazardous, but not Ford hybrids and future Volt.
04/29, 3:41 PM
posted by:
roger426
I wonder how much the oil companies paid for this study to be done?
04/29, 3:48 PM
posted by:
xyunya
Hmm, I wonder to whom oil companies paid those sums? The National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute or NY Times?
04/29, 3:57 PM
posted by:
roger426
I was being sarchastic…the fact that they emit emf’s is pure and simple commen sense.
04/29, 4:03 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Now what if you drive a hybrid AND live under power lines…
04/29, 4:07 PM
posted by:
global_lightning
Emmm,
These vehicles should have EMF shielding, otherwise you’ld get a nasty electric shock everytime you touched any surface. You probably get more EMF exposure sitting in front of your computer reading this website. This is 100% FUD.
04/29, 4:10 PM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
I read that 1115 got nut cancer from the magnetic field created by his Honda Insight.
04/29, 4:15 PM
posted by:
xyunya
if you drive a hybrid AND live under power lines…at the same time you may be a toast!
global_lightning, the article in Times was more elaborate then in LLN. There is enough evidence for scientific community to raise concern. Just like there is enough evidence to believe that we are experiencing global warming and perhaps it is caused by human activity.
04/29, 4:19 PM
posted by:
xyunya
mayer_ray_nagin you just produced evidence of 1115 having nuts. It appears that you have nothing to worry about by riding hybrid.
04/29, 4:20 PM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
Actually, I hope the hybrids endanger the purchasers health, since the purchasers (aka poseurs) who buy this garbage will be unlaoding their rotting batteries eventually into the rivers and streams of Bangladesh and Cambodia thereby threatening the health of millions of kids and adults all in the name of saving the earth.
04/29, 4:21 PM
posted by:
dmbpearl
It’s true… my neighbor bought a Toyota Prius a couple years ago and he turned into a total dick! All he does now is drive around the hood all day blasting that song “You’re Unbelievable” while drinking wine coolers.
04/29, 4:41 PM
posted by:
xyunya
Depending on state you live in, open alcohol containers are illegal. What was he drinking before?
04/29, 4:56 PM
posted by:
tzu13
Hahaha. PLEASE let there be a threat so that all those elitist hippies can die a slow, painful death…
04/29, 5:03 PM
posted by:
olds307
hahahahahahhahahhahahha
cheap is dear
04/29, 5:11 PM
posted by:
HemiRoadRunner
xyunya is a ****ing expert on EVERYTHING. So how does Doc’s flux capacitor work there chief?
04/29, 5:14 PM
posted by:
jumpoffit
whoa, this is heavy!
04/29, 6:01 PM
posted by:
xyunya
Quite simple. Ingredients are: one HemiRetardedRunner, one “soccor” ball, one bed pan. HemiRetardedRunner works in the nursing home replacing diapers and bed pans. In his zest to keep older population clean and wiped he does not see “soccor” ball and steps on it while carrying pan full of excrement to the toilet. He bumps his coconut on the toilet and sparks fly. Since his cranium is of higher density then the human one, he enjoys the experience and repeats its over and over including spilling urine and excrement upon himself. And that is how urea catalytic converter was invented by HemiRetardRunner.
04/30, 12:28 AM
posted by:
A4
you should die anyway if you bought a hybrid
04/30, 7:37 AM
posted by:
JohnnyBlazE
Everything causes cancer… read an article about how swimming is bad for you due to chlorine levels in pools and the link to cancer… meh
04/30, 9:47 AM
posted by:
dmbpearl
Derek Jeter Drinks Wine Coolers!
04/30, 11:25 AM
posted by:
xyunya
A4 I have bad news: you will die too. With or without hybrid. Just a function of time and natural stupidity/selection.
04/30, 11:29 AM
posted by:
dmbpearl
Your mom causes boners!
04/30, 11:47 AM
posted by:
gizmo2
Why is there never a Prius on the cover page when the Hybrid news is negative but it’s always there when it’s positive.
04/30, 12:54 PM
posted by:
nerfer
This is absolute nonsense. There’s more EMF radiation from cell phone towers and radio stations (AM, FM, satellite), bluetooth, etc, than there is from a DC battery occasionally running a motor in a hybrid vehicle. They’ve tried to pin certain cancers on living under high-voltage lines, but haven’t been able to do that. Somebody is using very inconclusive studies and ignoring real causes (and effects) of EMF to scare people from hybrids. I’d be a lot more worried about the cell phone clipped to your belt than a DC battery behind the back seat. Absolute garbage.
04/30, 2:11 PM
posted by:
swamprat
All electrical motors make noise and therefore emit electromagnetic radiation. No one has bothered to measure the levels nor has anyone bothered to measure the health effects of presumably low intensity radiation. I know that a hybrid owner said that somehow the fields did affect her laptop battery life. After a 3 hour trip in her Escape, the laptop, which was fully charged, had no juice after the trip. On the other hand, when not in the car, the battery seemed to last longer. I don’t know.