Do Electric Cars Emit EMFs?
As the push to minimize toxic exhaust caused by the burning of oil grows, the electric car is being sold as the logical solution to the air pollution problem.
But, when it comes to electric cars, are we really just changing up one form of pollution for another?
EMF Pollution
Although rarely spoken of in mainstream science circles, EMF Pollution is very real. Dr. George Carlo, who headed up a $28 million study into cell phone radiation back in the 1990’s, has called EMF Pollution “an invisible danger” and a “toxin”.
The $28 million study, which was funded by the Cell Phone Industry, was set up to prove that cell phones were safe for public use. At the end of the study, Dr. Carlo’s research led him to conclude just the opposite.
His study into cell phone radiation found it to be a potent carcinogen. When he divulged his findings to the Cell Phone Industry, and the direction he believed they should take in warning consumers of the potential health risks involved in wireless phone use, his plea fell on deaf ears.
Since the 1990’s, the Cell Phone Industry has grown exponentially. And with it, EMF Pollution and exposure. With the current rise in sales of electric cars, there is a new channel of EMF Pollution that most people who drive these cars do not know they are being exposed to.
Car EMFs
All cars emit electromagnetic fields, not just electric cars. With a battery and other electronics enclosed in a steel cage, cars act like mini-Faraday Cages.
The metal of the car traps the frequencies inside, so they are not able to escape and dissipate. These frequencies continue to circulate in the car and build.
Electric Cars
The idea of powering vehicles solely by batteries is not new. In 1859, the invention of the lead-acid battery by French physicist Gaston Plante enabled a battery to store electricity. This storage is needed to power a vehicle.
In 1881, Plante’s design was improved upon by a French scientist named Camille Alphonse Faure. It was likely this battery that was used by French inventor Gustave Trouve in the first passenger electric vehicle. This vehicle was tested in 1881 by being driven down a Paris street.
In the 1880s, cities like London were effected by heavy smoke and pollution from industry. Many inventors and scientists were looking for ways to power cars without adding to the already present air pollution in cities.
So, the idea to avoid the combustion of oil and move to a cleaner power source is not new.
Electric Car Revival
The electric car never really went away from its inception in the 1880s. However, interest in it waned for almost 100 years.
It took the energy crisis of the 1970s and 1980s to spark a revival in driving electric. At the 1990 Los Angeles Auto show, General Motors introduced the GM Impact electric car and announced their intent to build electric cars to sell to the public.
By 2004, Tesla Motors began developing the Tesla Roadster, the first highway legal all-electric car.
Since then, Tesla has been the leading manufacturer of electric vehicles.
EMF in Electric Cars
In an effort to avoid the pollutants from burning oil, electric cars are powered solely by batteries.
The number of batteries and their position in the vehicle varies from car to car. But, in general, most batteries are large AC batteries and they are placed in close proximity to where the driver and passengers sit.
The National Institute of Health published a 2022 study on the “Complex Electromagnetic Issues Associated with the Use of Electric Vehicles”.
The study found that the driver of an electric car is at risk due to the chronic exposure they receive of EMFs.
“An EV driver’s long-lasting daily exposure to EMF, even if compliant with the exposure limits, cannot be counted to be negligible when the context of possible adverse health effects due to chronic exposure to EMF is considered.”
The NIH study goes on to say that there is an elevated health risk in people who receive chronic exposure to electromagnetic frequencies.
“The ELF MF was classified to be a possible carcinogenic to human (2B classification) based on the epidemiologically proven elevated carcinogenic health risks in populations chronically exposed…”
The study concluded that the drivers and passengers in electric cars are receiving chronic exposure to EMFs which could put them at risk for cancer.
Dangers of Electric Cars
While the NIH itself has established there are dangers associated with driving and riding in electric cars, the amount of health risk could vary from person to person.
Pregnant women who regularly drive in electric cars could be at risk for higher incidences of miscarriage. This is based on studies done by Dr. De-Kun Li who found that pregnant women exposed to 2.5 milli gauss for just 14 minutes per day had a 271% increased risk of miscarriages.
Electric car EMFs could also prove to be more harmful to infants and children, whose bodies are rapidly developing and whose threshold for ‘safe’ EMF exposure could prove to be much less than for a full grown adult.
A 2020 PubMed study on “Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Children” found that “a developing child’s brain is vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation” and stated that “precautionary approaches are recommended for children until the potential health effects of EMF are confirmed”.
Pets are not immune when it comes to electric car EMFs. The same adverse health effects electric car EMFs can cause in people, can be caused in pets riding in the car.
Sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32683815/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8914635/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-16623-8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_electric_vehicle
