Aren’t Humans Already Used to Magnetic Fields Since Earth Has One?

Magnets fields are all around us, produced by both natural and artificial sources. Although the Earth’s magnetic field is an eternal force that humans have become accustomed to, new technologies like electric and hybrid vehicles add other kinds of magnetic fields that can ‘touch’ our bodies in ways that are worth knowing.

The contents of this article explains what these fields do and their impact on the human body.

Quick 101: What Are Magnetic and Electric Fields?

The Earth’s magnetic field builds an invisible boundary around the planet called the magnetosphere. Like a magnet, it protects us by reflecting all sorts of solar radiation.

Earth’s magnetic field is thought to play an important role in making the planet habitable. Not only does a magnetic field set the direction of our compass needles, it also acts as a shield of sorts, deflecting away solar wind that might otherwise eat away at the atmosphere (source: MIT News)

Electric fields, on the other hand, emanate from charged particles (for example, in wires or appliances). When those particles move, they form magnetic fields.

To simplify:

• The electric fields are the force driving electricity down a wire.
• The magnetic fields produced by that movement, like ripples in water as something carries over them.

How Magnetic Fields Interact With Your Body

Your body consists of conducting matter, such as water and salts. These elements can be responsive to magnetic fields. Here’s how:

• Electric Fields: Low-frequency electric fields can alter the distribution of electric charges on the skin surface of your body, just as static electricity will pull your hair up from a balloon.
• Magnetic Fields: Alternating magnetic fields (AC) are not like the rest of these, they actually create currents and voltages in your body.

Here’s the twist: Alternating magnetic fields have an effect in your body. They create small electrical currents that can affect living mechanisms such as muscle activity and nerve function.

These generated currents, when powerful enough, can wake up nerves and muscles or interfere with other bodily functions.

Why Isn’t Earth’s Magnetic Field Dangerous?

Earth’s magnetic field is a natural one, but it’s a constant, inert form called a DC (direct current) field. This field doesn’t generate currents within the body because it doesn’t fluctuate.

By contrast, technologies such as electric and hybrid cars generate AC (alternating current) fields that are continuously varying in strength and direction. These shifting fields can cause currents and voltages to arise in your body, and they’re completely different – and potentially even more dangerous – than the Earth’s natural magnetic field.

Sources of Magnetic Fields In Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Electric and hybrid cars operate on powerful batteries, motors, and wires. These elements generate magnetic fields as electricity passes through them.

The fields are strongest near:

• The motor
• The battery pack
• The cables linking these elements together

These magnetic fields are highest in the area under the floor of the car or underneath the seats for passengers, depending on where the wiring and devices are.

What Does This Have To Do With Your Health?

The magnetic fields pulsing in electric and hybrid vehicles create electrical currents and voltages in your body. These induced currents are tiny, but they are not negligible. After time, or prolonged exposure, they have the potential to alter biological functions, particularly if you’re sensitive to it.

Long-term effects of exposure to these fields remain unclear, but we know that these fields do interact with the body. That’s why we should be thinking about reducing exposure and one good way is to use SafeFields.

SafeFields provides new shielding technology to limit your exposure to harmful magnetic fields produced by electric and hybrid vehicles. Such products can be installed in cars to provide an extra safety margin.

Risks vs Benefits: A Need for Balance

There are no doubts about the benefits of electric and hybrid cars. Yet you should understand that the magnetic fields they generate differ vastly from Earth’s field.

Such alternating fields can cause currents and voltages to be applied throughout the body, and they’ll play with the biological system in ways that we don’t yet know how. It is by doing simple things to minimize the exposure that we can reap the fruits of cutting-edge technology without harming our bodies.