Are Hybrids Actually A Health Risk To Their Drivers?

Are Hybrids Actually A Health Risk To Their Drivers?
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.




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CarboyCarboy - 4/29/2008 4:03:40 PM
-4 Boost
I believe that!


raschitakochangwenyaraschitakochangwenya - 4/29/2008 8:34:31 PM
+4 Boost
This is bullsh*t as long as you have a current going thru wire you are always going to generate an EMF of some sort.Example inside the house you got electrical cables inside the walls carring electrity generating EMF ,we havent heard about people dying from this or getting sick .This is another case of paranoia


jeffy210jeffy210 - 4/29/2008 4:18:10 PM
+3 Boost
Wow, that's almost as paranoid as the people in towns who don't want to be near electrical lines or want to ban cell phones because of the "radation" it puts off. (Pay no mind to all of the other electromagnetic waves constantly passing through you at any given time)


Agent009Agent009 - 4/29/2008 4:45:12 PM
+2 Boost
There is always a theory out there, now isn't there...


EnnNorakEnnNorak - 4/29/2008 7:27:13 PM
+1 Boost
jeffy210, this is no more paranoid than keeping cell phone use to a minimum. It comes down to how strong these magnetic fields are. Sure, there are magnetic fields everywhere and humans have evolved to live in that environment but, depending on design and magnetic shielding (which is heavy and counterproductive to fuel saving) electric vehicle magnetic fields may be much stronger than natural magnetic fields produced by the rotation of our planet and its iron core.


lexusrox123lexusrox123 - 4/30/2008 9:08:24 AM
+1 Boost
evolved...LOL!


BigShow50BigShow50 - 4/29/2008 4:26:04 PM
+6 Boost
Here we go again, 1st off they say marijuana is bad, then all of a sudden it's becomes a medical practice of medicine. Cell Phones has been and still is a re-occuring issue. Anybody tested the levels in a home, appartment, or condo, considering we have high voltage wires running all over the place? What about where we work? How about that crazy upgraded sound system with crazy wattage we all so love to pound our fricking ear drums away in our vehicles...bottom line is when it's something new there is always a good and bad reason. At the end of the day we learn to accept it and carry on with no heros involved.


ChicaneShooterChicaneShooter - 4/30/2008 3:40:21 AM
+2 Boost

LOL! since you mention it, is this thread a "REEFER MADNESS" redux? ROTFLMAO!!!




KillBotKillBot - 4/29/2008 5:05:44 PM
0 Boost
ok, well here's a REAL question about hybrids. If one should catch on fire, how do you put it out? Especially if the motor is still running? Do you douse the electric motor and batteries in water and risk killing yourself? Or just let it burn to a cinder and then tow it away?

Killbot


lewishamiltonpimplewishamiltonpimp - 4/30/2008 7:16:30 AM
+3 Boost
Why would you kill yourself dousing an electric motor and batteries - in a car fire?



autoproautopro - 4/29/2008 5:11:11 PM
+2 Boost
This is a bunch of crap.


mercuryguymercuryguy - 4/29/2008 5:50:57 PM
+3 Boost
Radiation at any level is not good for the body as it greatly increases the chance of getting Cancer. Traditional waves that penetrate the body knock off molecules of DNA. We all know that an incomplete helix of DNA divides as a mutated cell, which leads to Cancer. When I use my Cell phone, I only use the speakerphone, or a corded headpiece.

How about the new X-Ray machines at border crossings that X-ray you and your vehicle every time you go through the toll booth. They say X-Rays are the worst for the body.



mercuryguymercuryguy - 4/29/2008 5:58:58 PM
+3 Boost
KillBot asked: “If a hybrid should catch on fire, how do you put it out?”

A: You can get a CO2 or Halon Gas Fire extinguisher at any West Marine Boating store. The canister is usually white in color.
Dry Chemical also works great on an electrical fire, but the white powder will likely destroy the interior and get into everything including the air conditioning system. Even a container of sand would work to smother the fire.
You have to use caution with CO2, as it can suffocate you if you are in an enclosed space since it displaces the Oxygen the fire needs to burn, and the Oxygen you need to survive.



Auto_expertAuto_expert - 4/29/2008 6:49:57 PM
-2 Boost
Now that would be funny, using CO2 to put out a fire in a Hybrid.


ChicaneShooterChicaneShooter - 4/30/2008 3:37:02 AM
+3 Boost
one mite also ask, just HOW LIKELY is a fire in a Prius? if anything, it is LESS LIKELY than in conventional cars, for at least a few reasons:

1) gasoline flow is LOWER in volume and FREQUENCY.
2) fuel tank is smaller.
3) with the long range, re-fueling occurs LESS OFTEN.
4) with regenerative braking (plus low likelihood of hard use with typical owner), overheated brake pads will almost NEVER occur.



MookGmbHMookGmbH - 4/30/2008 2:42:12 AM
+3 Boost
***009***

Are you testing stand-up material?


Agent009Agent009 - 4/30/2008 9:29:31 AM
+1 Boost
No, I don't think I have a future in standup.

But you know I couldn't resist on this one. Pretty soon scientists will say breathing air is bad for you.


528i528i - 4/30/2008 3:10:58 AM
-1 Boost
Manchester United 1 0 Barcelona.
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