Electro-Magnetic Radiation From Prius Gen II

This topic has been discussed more times here than I care to think about. Do a search using the search box at the top of the page and all your answers will be found.

 

my wife and i havn't had any children since we started driving hybrids.

 

Hi Tim. I'll take your question seriously as I know that some people are concerned about EM radiation.

First off the connection from the battery to the inverter is DC, which produces basically no EM radiation.

The inverter itself does not produce EM radiation at frequencies that are harmful, and in addition they are very well shielded from the cabin anyway. Basically the frequencies that the inverter can produce would if anything only cause radio interference. The level of radio frequency emission required to cause reception interference is so much lower than what is required to even give the slightest possibility of health concern that's it not even comparable. And yet the car has to meet FCC standards for low radio interference anyway so it's definitely not a problem.

Honestly, if you wanted to be even the slightest bit concerned about EM radiation from the Prius then you DEFINITELY have to throw out your TV, computer, microwave oven, mobile phone, all power tools, all wireless equipment and any cordless phones. You do that ok and then and only then will I really take your concern about the Prius seriously. If you don't do ALL of those things then you're just not genuine about EM, end of story.

 

Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Mythbuster: EMF levels in hybrids

 

:frusty:

Here we go again

Perhaps buy a TriField meter, and not only will you detect "radiation" from a Prius, but also any nearby ghosts

 

It's a non issue.... there are more problems wih the earths magnetic field, power lines, cell phones, cell towers, radio towers etc. EMF in the Prius is moot!

 

The two biggest EMF risks with the Prius are Bluetooth for the hands-free cellphone and the wireless Smart Key System. Both are low-power RF systems that can be found in most modern cars.

As for the hybrid aspect, there isn't any increased risk. Field levels measured in the Prius are about middle of the road for all non-hybrid cars.

Tom

 

In countries that have signed up to the UN ECE 1958 Agreement on vehicle construction, all vehicles must be type approved before they can go on sale. All EU members have signed up, as has the EU as an organization. Japan signed in 1998.

Vehicles, and vehicle components, must be tested to meet the construction regulations. Regulation 10 concerns electromagnetic compatibility. It covers both EM emissions from the vehicle and its behaviour when subjected to EM fields. The full text can be found at UNECE - Transport Division - Vehicle Regulations - Addenda to the 1958 Agreement (Regs. 1 - 20).

The units used for emissions will be unusual to most people - dBµV/m - but they are the normal way that broadcast engineers represent electric field strength. Decibels are related to voltages as follows:

dB = 20 log V1/V2

(In power, it is a factor of 10; the factor of 20 is used to keep the relative change in power the same, as power = voltage squared divided by resistance. If you square a quantity, the logarithm of that quantity doubles.)

The dB itself has no units, it just indicates a logarithmic change. It should always be quoted relative to some base value - here, decibels relative to one microvolt per metre. The permissible emissions at 10m away from the vehicle, 32 - 43 dBµV/m, are therefore 10 ^ (32 / 20) = 10 ^ 1.6 = 39.8 µV/m up to 10 ^ 2.15 = 141.3 µV/m. The car is required to handle field strengths of 25 - 30 volts per metre, or over 200,000 times as much as it emits.

The maximum permitted emissions from a WiFi access point are 36 dBm (decibels relative to one millwatt) in North America - in Europe, and other ETSI countries, it's only 20 dBm. At a distance of 5 metres this equates to 127 dBµV/m for North America and 110 dBµV/m for Europe. It's still an insignificant amount, but it's a lot more than your car.

 

This thread topic sucks but I cannot blame the author since our Search feature doesn't let you complete a search for any keywords with 3 letters or less. Grrr

Here is a list to get you started.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii.../88356-effects-electricity-emitted-prius.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/freds-house-pancakes/19987-prius-emf-risks.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-help-prius-2008-emf-mech-watches-please.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...nother-emf-question-in-gen-3-please-help.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-news/83240-mythbusters-emf.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-2010-toyota-prius-anyone-checked-theirs.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-news/81668-hybrids-making-emf-sensitive-people-sick.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/80926-prius-iii-radiation-risk.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...-dangers-what-you-should-know-about-emfs.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...mes-article-health-risks-driving-hybrids.html

There are more but as you can see this has been BEAT TO DEATH.

 

i sit every night from 8-10 with my notebook on my lap. do you think it will make me impotent?

 

I don't know, Tim. There were a couple of snide "not again" replies, but most of the responses seem to be people just trying to help out and inform.

At any rate, I don't think risks from EMF and hybrids are completely understood at this point, but from the current data, any detrimental effect seems highly unlikely. In fact, some non-hybrid SUVs emit more EMF than the Prius, so it's hard to single the Prius out!

 

I can sense you are frustrated trying to be the two dozenth person to drag the Prius through the mud. The regulars here are tired of being drug through the mud due to ignorance and are getting testy about it. Several of the folks who drug us through the mud before you were selling snake oil 'cures' for EMF to the gullible, and that has not helped your reception.

When you read about EMF, frequency is the key, if waves of magnetism are rapidly passing through your body, bad effects can start with very low power. Steady magnetism however can be quite strong with no ill effects as it is not changing. (The earth's magnetic field is an order of magnitude stronger than the 'stong' fields reported in a Prius)

My post to the last person who asked, who had read a report showing how 'strong' the fields were, without noting how low frequency they were. (the battery and HV cables are DC voltage, although current varies with load) I tried to show that the very source he was told 'warning' about EMF had guidelines that the Prius easily met. The post sounds bitter, it is a subject we are all bitter about, but I hope that reading it helps you find peace in a modern world.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-magnetic-radiation-in-prius.html#post1241580

(If you just want to be scolded on Priuschat, ask about Unintended Acceleration and Nickel mining in Sudbury Ontario)

 

Meteors could also fall from the sky and crush you while driving a Prius, we forgot to warn you about that as well.

Honest, I linked you to hundreds of pages of EMF guidelines. The largest EMF that the scaremongers could find in the Prius is a small fan near the rear right seat to cool the batteries. It has spinning magnetic fields, just like every electric motor.

 

As one of the links posted above show the EM fields inside a Prius are no different to that of any modern car. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/08/mythbuster-emf-levels-in-hybrids-.html

Also as pointed out above, if (and that of course is a still debated if) there are any risks from EM radiation they come primarily from the devices like bluetooth WiFi mobile/cordless phone etc which emit radiation by design.

Devices that don't emit radiation by design (eg the prius inverter) generally emit extremely low levels. They have to meet FCC standards on EM emission at levels that are relevant to radio interference, levels that are incredibly low compared to those which could cause health problems.

Finally something I forgot to mention before. Both motor generators in the Prius are located wholly within the the transaxle, that is fully encased by a thick grounded metal enclosure. I'm sure that you can figure out the consequences of this.

 

Well, I think we can all guess the true motives now of the OP. A basic bit of research on the Internet would have given reams of data on EMI, RF, and long-term studies of exposure to same

As a bit of background, I have an extensive career both in the military and out as a consulting engineer, primarily with tactical radar systems, EMI compliance, RF calibration, radar calibration, EMP compliance testing. So I'm a bit biased here

If the OP finds his Prius to be a boring car not even capable of getting diesel fuel economy, perhaps the OP can tend his fields in his diesel powered 4x4, which I'm sure puffs out black soot [Sarcasm Mode = ON] that is of course completely harmless to human health [Sarcasm Mode = OFF]

I'm just curious if the OP lives in an area with Internet coverage. If the OP is using an old CRT computer monitor, then the OP is exposed to "radiation" far more intense than anything found in a Prius or any other passenger car, which as others have pointed out, must meet fairly strict EMI compliance standards anyway

I certainly hope the OP doesn't live in an area with cell phone coverage. All those evil smartphones, broadcasting their "beams" into you. Tsk tsk

Yes, I am very underwhelmed by yet another tinfoil-hat crowd reaction to the "radiation" inside a Prius. Reminds me of "doctor" Wakefield and the MMR vaccine scare.

Perhaps the OP will sell the Prius and drive around in a diesel powered vehicle that belches clouds of black smoke. Far better for ones health

 

Sure wish I had tried THAT approach before I had my vasectomy 2 decades ago!

 

get a grip man. no sense of humor over in the highlands?