Can Bullet Trains Harm Passengers Health

Everybody gets kind of awe struck when they see those electro-magnetic "Bullet Trains" in Japan go flying down the tracks!


But how healthy is it to be in this train when it really ramps up its electromagnetic field?

Japan's Electromagnetic Trains Cause Paperclips to Dance

These paperclips, when placed on the floor of a japanese commuter train, stand up on their ends and dance whenever the train accelerates or brakes thanks electromagnetism.

The video - shot on the Rokko Liner in Kobe, Japan - shows how paperclips stand on end when the train accelerates and brakes. The magnetism, which is produced by the electric current that drives the motors located under the floor, apparently poses no harm to the human body, though it could damage credit cards, mobile phones, or other electronic devices if left on the floor.

Even though they say there is no risk to people riding this train, there are plenty of reports and studies that say it is harmful to humans.

Electromagnetic effects on people.

This article discusses the current state of knowledge about the deleterious health effects arising from exposure of people, particularly children, to very low frequency electromagnetic fields. References are given to epidemiological studies bearing on cancer in people, and on laboratory studies on animals indicating stress-related effects on the immune system and on embryological development.

Somehow I get the feeling that it really might not be that healthy to ride in one of these "Bullet Trains".

[edit on 7/15/2009 by Keyhole]

Wouldn't the wearing of rubber soled shoes protect people from the magnetic discharge/electrical current that seems to be occurring when the train accelerates and brakes?

If the Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) Radiation isn't enough to cause disruption in cellphones or other electronic devices that are not in direct contact with the ground, then the effects would be negligible to the human body so long as it is not in direct contact either. We are subjected to far more EMF Radiation from other sources in our daily lives.

I'm still willing to ride on a Bullet Train, although I wouldn't lie down on the floor or sit my laptop down on the ground. However, I so would have to take a bunch of paperclips with me just to duplicate that trick in the video. That's pretty sweet.