BERLIN: "Electrosmog" is the term used to describe the electromagnetic waves in our environment. At high enough levels, these waves can affect human health.

But what about our cars - do we need to worry about them as sources of radiation? And given new technology, such as plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, has the amount of electromagnetic radiation in cars increased?

Many electromagnetic fields occur in the environment, for example from the Earth's magnetic field, says expert Sarah Driessen.

She works at the Research Centre for Electro-Magnetic Environmental Compatibility at the Institute for Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine in Aachen, Germany.

"These weak fields are harmless to humans. But there are artificially generated fields, such as in the lower frequency range on high-voltage lines, which can be harmful to people in the immediate vicinity," she says.

That's why high-voltage lines are placed high in the air on pylons.

Fields generated by technical equipment must comply with certain limit values so that they don't cause any health consequences. This applies to cars, too.

"The little data available on this shows that the limit values are mostly adhered to," Driessen says.

Juergen Schwarz, department head for antennas and electromagnetic compatibility at Mercedes, distinguishes between two areas when it comes to electromagnetic radiation.

"First of all, there is radiation from the vehicle," he says. That radiation shouldn't harm or disturb people or other technical devices.

Then there's radiation from the external environment. "No radiation from the outside should damage or disturb the vehicle or its internal services, so we have to protect the vehicles," Schwarz says.

When it comes to the radiation produced by the vehicle itself, there is no single measurement. Different components such as chips, control units or cellular radio modules with antennas all produce different frequencies.

In order to keep as much radiation out of the car as possible, drivers shouldn't use their mobile phones to make calls in the car, but instead should use an external antenna.

"Mobile phones regulate the radiation output independently. The worse the reception, the stronger it radiates," Schwarz says.

In order to keep the frequency fields as low as possible, Mercedes vehicles transmit using an integrated LTE external antenna, which also improves reception.

Volkswagen says it considers electromagnetic environmental compatibility throughout the planning and development process for its vehicles. For example, the main power cables are placed outside the metal-shielded interior (forming a Faraday cage), drivers are encapsulated, and specially designed filters are used for the high-voltage components.

It isn't true that plug-in hybrids or electric cars produce more magnetic fields that are harmful to motorists than internal combustion cars. The same electromagnetic limits apply to all car types. In fact, fully electric and hybrid cars also offer advantages in this area, Schwarz says.

That's because the higher the voltage, the smaller the magnetic field as well as the radiation.

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