CEO’s Office
With the increasing demand for electric vehicles around the world, many concerns have arisen regarding the electromagnetic emissions within them. Continuing my previous article, today I continue to delve into this topic and my recommendations.
As I mentioned in my previous article about hybrid and electric vehicles, like all electronic devices we use daily, they emit extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF). According to various studies that have been carried out over the years, it has been proven that this type of radiation represents a real health risk for people who are constantly exposed to it.
In my judgment as an EMF researcher, I believe that electric and hybrid vehicles should be subjected to a study equivalent to what is the SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) in cell phones. This will ensure safer vehicles for users and passengers.
The latent concern and misinformation about exposure levels
First of all, it is important to note that the electromagnetic issue is something little talked about and scarcely known by the common of people. When it comes to electromagnetic exposure and associated risks, there is no established consensus or unified information on healthy levels or how to protect yourself, and it is this very misinformation that makes many decide to investigate on their own and draw the wrong conclusions.
For example, in a Tesla Motors Q&A forum, The New York Times article “Fear, But Few Facts, About Hybrid Risks”, was quoted and many users participated with comments regarding what levels they considered appropriate or not, the risks, fears, and so on.
In the discussion forum, it was mentioned a lot that people are very concerned about electromagnetic emission. However, some users mention a fragment of the article in which they highlight that a person can be exposed up to 135 milligauss, and they say that Wikipedia indicates it as an “insignificant” exposure.
Tiebreaker – Published in May 2011
If I’m reading the article right (on the second page):
“He said the driver was receiving ‘dangerously high’ FMS levels of up to 135 milligauss in the hip and up to 100 milligauss in the upper torso.”
That would be 0.135 and 0.100 gauss respectively.
But then:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauss_(unit)
0.31-0.58 gauss: the Earth’s magnetic field on its surface
So is walking on the surface of the Earth even more dangerous?
How about breathing in gasoline fumes? And the exhaust gases?
We are immersed daily in EMF from thousands of sources. I don’t think there is a considerable EMF risk when riding in electric cars, no greater than walking around your home appliances.
In the conversations of this forum, I notice that there is confusion related to the subject of electromagnetic fields, and this is due to the absence of a specific guide and a regulation on the part of specialized organisms. This only makes brands as professional as Tesla not have specific pronouncements on the subject.
This is the case for the common people when it comes to this topic. There is not enough education on the matter or authorized guides, so users end up misinforming or misinterpreting information obtained from various open sources. Furthermore, there continues to be a lack of understanding regarding the difference between what can be an emission from an artificial source or a natural one.
The duality between artificial and natural fields
As we mentioned in our previous article Natural vs. artificial electromagnetic fields: the importance of polarization, the fields emanating from man-made sources are completely different from the natural fields that surround the earth, which promote the development of our species and nature.
The magnetic flux emanating from a natural source is not even close to the same as that emanating from an artificial source. For example, the earth’s magnetic field produces more than 135 milligauss (up to 450 milligauss) and is beneficial to the human body and the environment, but it is because it comes from a natural source.
On the other hand, the technology that we use every day is emitting important magnetic fluxes that, although are not as high as natural ones, come with an artificial polarization behavior that produces harmful effects on health and unbalance the delicate balance of our environment.
The electro-clean standard: my proposal
First, I must emphasize that I consider Tesla an excellent EV brand, an industry pioneer, and an EV enthusiast. However, as the enthusiast that I am, I believe that both Tesla and other major brands globally have a great opportunity to optimize and improve their vehicle designs to minimize exposure to electromagnetic fields. I believe that we must work towards the creation of electro-clean vehicles with clean electromagnetic emissions. This is my proposal
Our need must be to filter these artificial magnetic fluxes to make them behave like the natural fields surrounding the earth, and the solution to achieve this is to create a new standard of electrosmog-free electro-clean vehicles and technologies.
Joaquín Machado
CEO of NOXTAK, specialist and researcher in EMF, advisor on green technologies, IoT, and smart cities.