EMF and new cars

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EMF and new cars

tonydavis
My family recently bought a new car that is producing a radio frequency reaction that can't be tolerated by a household member, even when the car sits inertly in our driveway with the ignition off. I won't go into more details about the person's reactions for reasons of personal privacy.

I've been told that a very likely cause of this problem is the fin-shaped structure jutting from the car's rear roof that acts as a combination antenna and transmitter, sending a signal to and interacting with nearby cell towers, in part to enable tracking of the vehicle by Toyota and in part to harvest data from and through the cell tower. Although we'd read of many issues involving new cars and RFs we'd not heard of that one before buying the car.

The question now is can this antenna/transmitter be disconnected? We spoke to a local electronic specialist who said they can do the disconnection. But there apparently is a second problem: There is also an RF transmitter inside the vehicle, that sends signals to the transmitting unit on the roof of the vehicle. What we don't know is whether disconnecting that roof antenna/transmitter will ever stop the transmitting unit inside the car from transmitting.

The electronics expert who we talked to told us that probably will eventually come to pass, but there are no guarantees. The expert also told us that if we also removed the radio and the large LCD screen from the car, that likely would take care of at least some of the problems caused by the RF transmitting unit inside the car. But again, no guarantees.

My request to this list is: Have any of you on it ever dealt with this problem in their own vehicles and could they share that experience with me? Thank you very much, Tony Davis, Tucson, AZ.
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Re: EMF and new cars

Marc Martin
Administrator
This is why I see myself becoming a vintage car enthusiast in the future.  My 2006 car has none of this.  

On the Facebook group, I see a few people reporting that some cars as recently as 2013 are acceptable as-is.  Disabling stuff is always very car/manufacturer-specific.  At least, some manufacturers will claim that something is impossible, or will break various aspects of the car if something is disabled.

Marc
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Re: EMF and new cars

fizzyhead
In reply to this post by tonydavis
This explains A LOT. I can feel the transmissions from modern cars as they pass us on the road, and also when they are parked up. They cause heart and breathing problems. It is becoming a nightmare and very difficult now to travel on the roads. Carparks are not a nice place to hang around.
And if a modern car parks close by our house, it is a case of asking the car to be moved, or leaving the house until the car goes. Your explanation of what is causing it makes sense. We have an old 2006 vehicle and no problems with it. I believe cars pre- 2012 are generally ok.
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Re: EMF and new cars

tonydavis
I appreciate the comments from Marc and BeHappy but I don't know that buying 10-year-old cars is the solution I want to hear. We have 3 cars now, dating from 1994 through 2010, and all have at least 180 miles and are in need of regular repairs. I don't fully trust driving them any distance from the Tucson metro area, and while that does save on gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions, it also limits my mobility significantly. But this is something I will clearly keep in mind for the future.
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Re: EMF and new cars

Marc Martin
Administrator
Well, you do see some people on the Facebook group taking test drives and reading their meters on newer cars, and you occasionally see someone point out that a particular make/model is okay.  

It's just that if you go back far enough in time, they are all okay.

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Re: EMF and new cars

tonydavis
Thank you, Marc. Would you mind giving me the name of the Facebook group, and would I be able to join it?

Tony
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Re: EMF and new cars

Marc Martin
Administrator
This post was updated on .
Yes, you should be able to join it, as long as you have a Facebook account.

I run them both.  This group is for those who'd rather not use Facebook.

Here is the link:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/emfSensitivity

You could either ask your specific question there, or first search the archives, as I'm sure this question has been discussed dozens of times (probably dozens of times in the past year).

Marc
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Re: EMF and new cars

chupa38
In reply to this post by tonydavis
Could it be all the sensors used to assist the driver? I.E. driver alertness, etc. I know when I rented a newer kia soul I  had a hard time until I disabled all the extra help from the computer in the settings. I think all these sensors are wireless and emit lots of RF. I really wonder what we're going to do when they introduce electric roads. Its a bleak future for us that's for sure.
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Re: EMF and new cars

Cassy0110
In reply to this post by tonydavis
Could you just cut the wires?
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Re: EMF and new cars

kjgartner
In reply to this post by tonydavis
Tony, all modern cars offer too much EMF exposure.  

While most of it is in the microwave range (wifi, cell, bluetooth), some is in the microwave (radar for collision avoidance, for instance), some is lower RF (such as keyless locks and some security products), and much is in the 'AC power frequency range' (from 15Hz - several hundred kHz, especially the AC magnetic fields that come mostly from the engine's alternator). Any or all of these would irradiate and irritate an EHS person.  The keyless door entry, security, phone-home-to-dealer and occasional gps-car-trackers will broadcast even when the car is powered off in the driveway.

The best consumer advice I can offer to families with an electrically sensitive member is to ensure that all purchases also come with excellent product return policies.  There is no clearinghouse or 'Consumer Reports' reporting on the suitability of cars from the perspective of health.

As mentioned by some folks in this thread, there are ways to pull individual circuit breakers and hope that bluetooth and other communication is disabled, without disabling other aspects of the car.  Ever fewer cars are being made such that they operate properly, since a lot of these radiation-spewers are part of 'safety equipment' and thus not able to be turned off.  Especially difficult to overcome is the cell phone connection back to the dealer.  It gets worse with each model year.

Rental cars pose all the same electrosensitivity hazards as might 'Uber' drivers and Taxicabs.  

In your situation, which you have likely resolved by now, will generally involve working with the dealer and they will not be EHS-knowledgeable though will be happy to charge you mechanics wages per hour to hunt around what might be turned off.  They are required to divulge to the consumer *all* FCCIDs for the components of their vehicle and from that you can derive the list of all the broadcasting antennas in the car.  I am not optimistic but do wish for good luck in your case.

The recommendation to purchase older vehicles is a sound one -- not only do they not have such EHS-unfriendly aspects, but you won't be violating a warranty to tinker with shielding the wiring or putting magnetic shielding under the carpet.

Although less palatable and effective, it is possible that the EHS person could wear protective clothing, such as a torso wrapped with Soft-and-Safe (Bamboo/Silver fabric with high microwave blocking, available from LessEMF in the US) and suffer to coexist with the car.  We must always be mindful that 'muscling through' EHS symptoms due to exposure can leading to 'permanent' worsening of symptoms and a more unpleasant plateau of incapacitation.