I saw a similar earlier thread, but not sure if anyone saw this NYTimes article:


March 1, 2002
Experts Cast Doubt on Report Finding High Magnetic Fields in Volvos
By DAN McCOSH
lthough a Swedish car magazine found higher than normal levels of electromagnetism in some Volvos, its study, which alarmed many Volvo owners, may have overstated the hazard.

The magazine, Vi Bilagare, said it found magnetic fields in three Volvo models — the S60, V70 and S80 — as high as 17.8 microteslas around the driver's left foot. A microtesla is a unit of measurement for magnetism. Citing recommendations by the National Institute for Working Life, a Swedish labor group, the magazine said that was about 80 times the level considered safe, which it defined as 0.2 microteslas. The Swedish findings were widely reported.

But the labor group's standard is far more conservative than one set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, a group of scientists who establish safety standards for various forms of electromagnetic radiation. The commission considers low-frequency radiation of less than 100 microteslas to be safe.

Volvo said there was "absolutely no scientific proof" that the magnetic fields posed any risks and cited an article to that effect that was published this week by four Swedish professors. Still, it said it was seeking to develop "a workable solution" to reduce electromagnetic fields, possibly involving the addition of a ground cable.

Hundreds of scientific studies have found no evidence of health effects from exposure to common electromagnetic fields, like those from cars and appliances. Riders on British electric trains are subjected to fields of about 60 microteslas. Hair dryers, electric shavers and power tools can emit short- range fields of up to 200 microteslas.
Speaking of the Swedish magazine report, John Moulder, professor of radiation oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said, "There certainly is no obvious hazard."

Magnetic fields generated by a car's electrical system have mainly been treated as a threat to sensitive electronic components, rather than to occupants. But fields generated by high-voltage lines have long been under scrutiny, after some studies indicated a weak correlation between living under power lines and childhood leukemia. Subsequent studies have not found direct links between electromagnetism and health risks.

Although any electrical current generates magnetic fields, few systems in a car operate at a power level or frequency considered harmful. Automotive electrical systems are 12 volts, compared with the 100,000-plus volts of an overhead power line, and most are direct current, which creates a magnetic field generally considered harmless.
In the three Volvos, the battery is in the trunk. The source of the magnetic field is a cable that runs along the side of the car from the alternator to the battery. The alternator intermittently recharges the battery with pulsating current, and when it does, a magnetic field is created in the cable.