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astralfish

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Messages
48
Location
San Diego, CA
I recently acquired a Trifield EMF meter that detects magnetic, electric, and radio/microwave fields. On the back of it it reads:
"Hazard Thresholds
Absolute hazard thresholds have not been established. Studies suggest biological effects may begin to occur near 3 milligauss of AC magnetic field, 1 Kilovolt/m of AC electric field, and approximately .1 mW/cm^2 of microwave power; long term personal exposure to such environments should therefore be minimized. Electric and magnetic settings are frequency weighted and calibrated for 60 Hz sine waves."

Being interested in peak health/performance, I wanted to see what the Leaf was blasting me with. We're just looking at the magnetic field (the top bar. Solid red is harmful to the body) Have a look:

This is the level of magnetic field that the average Leafer's head is exposed to. About 2 milligauss. Not harmful.
Photo0133.jpg


Check out what the legs and feet are exposed to.. over 8 milligauss! It kept going back and forth.
Photo0137.jpg


And of course, in front of the Nav unit.
Photo0140.jpg


I guess it isn't surprising that the most amount of magnetic field is coming from the giant battery under the car.

So what to do about this? I have used these car mats since I bought my car:
Photo0141.jpg


They are connected to the metal frame of the seat.
Photo0142.jpg


Basically what they do is add another 3354 lb to your weight, essentially making the electrical potential of the body and the car to be the same. From my book: "An article in a 2000 publication of the Association of Professional Truck Drivers of America informed its readers that the seat pad addressed the nervous system consequence of extraneous electrical charge on the body resulting from road vibration and the related motion of the driver's body on the vehicle seat. Overdrive, a leading publication serving commercial truck owner-operators and company drivers, humorously explained the concept this way: 'Lower your stress with honorable discharge.' Over the years, drivers using a conductive seat pad in their vehicles have consistently commented about less tension and fatigue when driving."

We've all heard of people developing brain cancer from living under telephone wires and in the coming decades we'll unfortunately have an explosion of cancers and tumors from the overuse of cell phones. One would be surprised at how much these invisible energies contribute to chronic inflammation, headaches, and numerous other conditions. Of course, the easiest route is to minimize our exposure to dissonant frequencies. Don't sleep right next to your cell phone, plugged in alarm clock, tv, etc. Personally, I take the next step and ground myself by electrically connecting to the earth every night; either through a copper rod in the dirt or the ground socket on the wall.

If anyone is interested, here are a few informative books on the subject:

Photo0144.jpg
 
The author of "Zapped" doesn't have the most impressive credentials, as described in this Amazon revew:

"I read this book with a scientific mind, and I've been doing a lot of reading about electric and magnetic fields lately. The fact is, evidence of true health effects from most EMF sources is weak. After reading this book, I also read many of Gittleman's sources, as well as several more scientific articles and reports from NIEHS, the FCC, the FDA, and others, and I have to conclude that this book really only shows you a small piece of the larger issue. Gittleman only talks about the studies that prove her theory, and excludes the many that don't. Many of her "facts" are actually inaccurate and poorly researched (for example, when talking about wireless internet, she states the frequency as 802.11 Hz. 802.11 is the number of the IEEE standard for wireless internet service. It is not a frequency.). Also, her "PhD" is from a non-accredited "school" that was simply in the business of selling certificates. The "school" in question, Clayton College of Natural Health, has since gone out of business."
 
I'm no EE but the conclusion amongst Priuschatters in the know is that the TriField Meter is a useless piece of crap. Here are some threads: http://priuschat.com/forums/freds-house-pancakes/19987-prius-emf-risks-3.html#post1216325" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Random EMF threads pop up in Priuschat on occasion from alarmists who don't know anything and tend to never return.... the fotodd guy made a whopping 1 post.

A few more:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-technical-discussion/88356-effects-electricity-emitted-prius.html#post1239152" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/86097-high-emf-in-rear-right-seat-8.html#post1215437" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/86097-high-emf-in-rear-right-seat-7.html#post1214569" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Here's an archived version of the page the qbee42 is talking about: http://web.archive.org/web/20100115204159/http://www.trifieldmeter.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/62784-2010-prius-emf-3.html#post1145570" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; notes a big caveat about the readings on the meter.
 
Don't really want to high jack this thread, but you are what you eat. Check out this book about the diseases of affluence (cancer, heart disease and diabetes). And a regular exercise helps too :). The EMF of the LEAF is not even on the list of my worries.

The China Study:
http://tinyurl.com/3asg5nz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
astralfish said:
Yes, ignore that it has 4 and a half stars out of 5 and pick out one negative review.
Her credentials are not a popularity contest. I picked that review because of what it revealed about her credentials. As I said, not that impressive.
 
trentr, I'm vegan and appreciate your post. That book along with "80/10/10 Diet" is pure truth.

To all zombies: Keep listening to your bald overweight doctor who can't even take care of himself. Keep regurgitating science facts. Sorry that I disturbed your sleep. You may return to your regularly scheduled "programming".
 
I'm not in the least bit concerned about EM radiation from the Leaf. Lets face it, the magnetic field are considered extremely weak compared to an MRI, yet those are considered safe for humans. As for EM radiation, I'd be willing to bet my microwave oven and especially my cell phone probably bombard me with higher energy photons than my Leaf.
 
Sorry dude, I'll take established research and documented sources over well written tin-foil-hat scaremongering any day. If you consider applying reason and research to information sent my way to be "programming", I guess we'll just have to call it a draw, as there's really no reason to argue with delusion.
 
There is no EMF going from the pack. I would also not trust that meter for any sort of determination.
 
Yowzah! There are some really straaaaange folks on this forum sometimes. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
 
Hmmm.

This sounds scary, but I have trouble believing the accuracy of Astralfish's meter given it's pretty low cost device ($127) with a single dial for a measurement that is on 3-axis.

The motor definitely will generate an electric field and so will the battery as a lot of current is moving from it to the motor. However given the millions of hours accumulated by workers around the world in warehouses and docks using fork lifts with similar sized electric motors (that people are literally sitting on), I am not overly concerned.
 
astralfish said:
So what to do about this? I have used these car mats since I bought my car:
Photo0141.jpg

So what is this little sorta-grounded anti-static pad going to do that the two sheet of "grounded" metal between you and the battery doesn't? yeah. nothing.


astralfish said:
They are connected to the metal frame of the seat.
Photo0142.jpg

Did you scrape the paint off the rails? If not you aren't doing anything. Did you know static pads have a dissipating resistor in the cable? Meaning your pad is grounded through a very high resistance, degrading it's usefulness even more.

astralfish said:
Personally, I take the next step and ground myself by electrically connecting to the earth every night; either through a copper rod in the dirt or the ground socket on the wall.
Wow, hope lightening doesn't strike anywhere near your house. Incredibly dumb from a safety standpoint. You are worried about EMF and you are basically connecting yourself to giant network of wires that are inductively picking up EMF noise from all over *and giving it a direct connection to you*. What conducts EMF better? Air or copper?

astralfish said:
We've all heard of people developing brain cancer from living under telephone wires and in the coming decades we'll unfortunately have an explosion of cancers and tumors from the overuse of cell phones.

Hmm, no. I've heard of people getting brain tumors. 3/4 of the population happen to live under telephone lines (which have very little radiation anyway) so some of them are bound to get tumors.. and I suppose 20 years isn't long enough to see the "explosion" of brain tumors from cell phones, huh?
 
The battery pack does not emit anything. The motor does but it's insulated. This is another silly thread based on a lack of facts and knowledge. The most dangerous thing I have seen so far in that car is the pads and the center appliqué trim. :lol:
 
EVDRIVER said:
The battery pack does not emit anything. The motor does but it's insulated. This is another silly thread based on a lack of facts and knowledge. The most dangerous thing I have seen so far in that car is the pads and the center appliqué trim. :lol:

The battery itself doesn't, but the area can have some back EMF created by the switching in the inverter coupled back through the DC supply lines. But I believe the HV cable on the leaf is shielded which should minimize this.

Regardless, even if it wasn't shielded, I agree it still would be negligible.
 
+1

I'm an EE and find the whole thing simply silly.

defiancecp said:
Sorry dude, I'll take established research and documented sources over well written tin-foil-hat scaremongering any day. If you consider applying reason and research to information sent my way to be "programming", I guess we'll just have to call it a draw, as there's really no reason to argue with delusion.
 
What I really would like to know is if Nissan themselves had done their own research. I would like to know Nissan's product development team's data on this EMF exposure topic.

Does anyone have any pointer to an FAQ for this?
 
I also happen to own an EMF meter, and just haven't gotten around to measuring the LEAF environs. Work has some central AC step down transformers, and they really put it out. Certain AC lines also really pump it out in certain areas.

The science on EMF safety is unclear, but cellular changes apparently have been measured at levels lower than considered safe... So not enough information to send out the jury yet one way or the other.... The issue of the brain, processes of cognition, and EMF is not understood well at all, so I lean toward the precautionary principle, as the BRAIN is an organ of very subtle energy matter relationships (see the academic work of Paul L. Nunez and EMF of the brain for general theory).

DC doesn't emit EMF, does it? EMF in the LEAF would be around the inverter and motor. I am just guessing here....

As per NISSAN, I did wonder if, per the manual, that my Dad's pacemaker may be sensitive to charging operations.

I agree that there is plenty of speculation to go around here... I am still happily driving my LEAF, and likely, the nearby toxic brew of partially combusted hydrocarbons (with a loose hangin Oxygen or Carbon looking for a party), soot, gas, and aerosols, are more likely dangerous than the EMF of the car.
 
Several months ago someone posted on here that their ICE car emitted more EMFs than their LEAF. I can't remember who it was though.
 
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