Many Israelis fear health damage that may be caused to them as a result of radiation emitted while driving in hybrid vehicles - even though these are known to be completely safe. What needs to be done for the public to stop being afraid and start adopting these economical and more environmentally-friendly vehicles?
By Prof. Anat Chechik, Dr. Orit Rotem, Prof. Sigal Kaplan and Gil Dover, Angle - a news agency for science and the environment
In 2018, a lawsuit was filed against the importers of the hybrid cars Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro Application for class action in a total of no less than NIS 320 million. The claim that came up was that there is an abnormality in the level of non-ionizing radiation emitted from these vehicles. The lawsuit was eventually dropped - for the simple reason that there is no binding standard for the level of non-ionizing radiation from vehicles in Israel, but it aroused quite a bit of public interest, and expected concern among Israelis, as could be seen in the increase in the mention of the issue in the media and social networks.
This concern is fed by a basic fear of the mere mention of the word "radiation", along with intimidation in the media, ambiguity and lack of information on the subject. Unlike ionizing radiation, which is indeed dangerous, The non-ionizing radiation, which includes, among other things, visible light, radio waves - and the radiation emitted from hybrid vehicles, cannot cause any proven damage due to the lower amount of energy in it. In fact, there is no scientific evidence that indicates any significant health risk to drivers and passengers due to the levels of non-ionizing radiation emitted by hybrid vehicles, and the official position of organizations such as the International Committee for Protection against Non-Ionizing Radiation is that hybrid vehicles do not pose a health risk and are completely safe to use.
It should be noted that this is where the precautionary principle comes into play, according to which a possible harm to public health must be prevented even in the absence of scientific evidence that such harm is possible - just in case. Thus, Israel adopted the conclusions of the World Health Organization, and it recommends exposure to non-ionizing radiation at an intensity of No more than 4 milligauss per day on average. A recent study in Europe found that the maximum exposure to non-ionizing radiation inside hybrid vehicles does not exceed this value. In fact, as a young country, Israel's electricity infrastructure (which also emits non-ionizing radiation) is new compared to that of the European Union, so prolonged exposure to fields above 4 milligauss is rarer there than in Europe.
Therefore, although the fear of non-ionizing radiation from a hybrid vehicle is unjustified, it may constitute an obstacle to the adoption of the technology, and lead to the fact that the hybrid vehicle market will not grow at a rate that will allow it to realize the The environmental potential that lies in it: The hybrid vehicle emits on average about 30 percent less carbon dioxide (the emission of which exacerbates the climate crisis) than "normal" vehicles, powered by internal combustion.
A lot of fear - and unfounded
This issue was the motivation for the research we conducted and which was recently completed at Bar-Ilan University and the Hebrew University, which is currently in the writing stages. In the study, we examined the probability of choosing a hybrid vehicle over a "regular" vehicle (with an internal combustion engine) among a sample of Israeli consumers. Respondents are given information about the various features of the vehicles, including: safety equipment, horse power, trunk size, maximum speed, greenhouse gas emissions - and the level of non-ionizing radiation in milligauss (it should be noted that "regular" vehicles also emit non-ionizing radiation). The study also examined variables that concern the participants, such as environmental attitudes, previous experience with a hybrid vehicle and perceptions towards non-ionizing radiation.
In the research it was clearly found that the non-ionizing radiation is indeed a barrier to the adoption of the hybrid vehicle. The higher the level of non-ionizing radiation, the lower the probability of choosing such a vehicle - especially for people who perceive the risk of radiation to their health as particularly high. In fact, more than 50 percent of the respondents expressed great fear of non-ionizing radiation. Among people who did not choose a hybrid vehicle, the fear of non-ionizing radiation was 20 percent higher than among those who did choose it.
In addition, the results showed that for people with a high environmental awareness, the environmental benefit that the hybrid vehicle produces has a higher weight than the perceived negative effect of the non-ionizing radiation. The reason for this could be that people with a high environmental awareness collect more information about vehicles powered by alternative energy, are aware of the results of studies on the subject and are less exposed to the influence of intimidation in the media.
The study also examined the effect of information about non-ionizing radiation on the chance of choosing a hybrid vehicle. In particular, a third of the participants were given information about non-ionizing radiation that was framed positively ("According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization, prolonged exposure to non-ionizing radiation of up to 4 milligauss is safe"), a third received information that was framed on the negative side ("The World Health Organization does not recommend prolonged exposure to non-ionizing radiation of over 4 milligauss") and a third of the participants did not receive any additional information about the radiation. From the analysis of the data it was found that both types of information, positive and negative, had a negative effect on the choice of a hybrid vehicle compared to the group that did not receive any information. In other words, it is possible that the mere flood of information about the health effects of non-ionizing radiation, overwhelms concern and reduces the chance of adopting a hybrid vehicle.
Reduce the barriers on the way to hybrids
עם Cancellation of tax breaks on hybrid vehicles, and given that it will still take some time for the market to be ready for a transition to full electric drive, one must try and reduce barriers on the way to increasing the hybrid market share - such as the perceived fear of non-ionizing radiation, which, as the research shows, has a negative effect.
One of the ways is to oblige the car importers to obtain a permit in the field of radiation: such regulation can greatly reduce the uncertainty and perceived risk among consumers. In Israel, as in many countries in the world, there is only a recommendation regarding non-ionizing radiation from hybrid vehicles, but there are several countries (such as Japan and South Korea) that have implemented regulations related to the emission of non-ionizing radiation from cars.
Moreover, it is desirable that the car manufacturers be required to be more transparent regarding the levels of non-ionizing radiation emitted by their vehicles, and publish the relevant data - just as they are required to publish data regarding their emissions. In this way, consumers who fear radiation (even if without justification) will be able to reduce the degree of perceived risk and choose hybrid vehicles whose level of radiation is the lowest. This move may attract consumers who previously would not have chosen a hybrid vehicle due to the uncertainty.
Finally, it is recommended to communicate the information about the non-ionizing radiation in an accessible way - for example, using a simple scale of colors, like the one applied in relation to emission levels.
The hybrid vehicle has significant growth potential in Israel. While the danger of non-ionizing radiation is not scientifically proven, the danger of illness as a result of air pollution caused by fossil fuel-powered vehicles, which includes respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer, is clear and tangible. Therefore, quick and decisive action is required on the part of the regulator and on the part of the car manufacturers to release the barriers to the adoption of the hybrid vehicle, which originate from unfounded fear and the lack of transparency.
Prof. Anat Chechik is a researcher of environmental economics and natural resources in the Department of Geography and Environment at Bar-Ilan University and head of the environmental management and innovation course for a master's degree.
Dr. Orit Rotem is the head of the Department of Geography and Environment and the head of the master's degree program in environmental regulation and policy (together with Prof. Oren Perez) at Bar-Ilan University.
Prof. Sigal Kaplan is a researcher in the field of transportation behavior research and smart transportation systems at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Gil Dover is a logistics support manager at UVision Air, and he previously served as an operations manager at the Lubinski Group automobile importer.
