Safety Assessment of Sunroof Status on Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Exposure Levels for Drivers in Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication

With the widespread application of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology, sunroofs have enhanced user experience while introducing novel electromagnetic exposure scenarios that may pose health risks to drivers. This study employs COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate three sunroof scenarios (no sunroof, sunroof closed, and sunroof open) to assess human exposure levels. The computational models incorporate a full-scale vehicle, a V2V antenna, and an anatomical human model. The whole-body averaged specific absorption rate (SARwb) and SAR averaged over 10g tissues (SAR 10g ) in the central nervous system (CNS) are assessed against the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) public exposure limits. The results indicate that the sunroof open condition (worst-case exposure scenario) significantly increases SAR deposition, with SARwb reaching 0.318 mW kg -1 (0.396% of the ICNIRP limit of 0.08 W kg -1 ). This value represents a 1.45 times and 4.68 times increase compared to the sunroof closed and no sunroof conditions, respectively. In the worst-case exposure scenario, the superficial skin tissue exhibits the maximum SAR 10g (72.39 mW kg -1 ), representing a 29.30% increase compared to the sunroof closed state (55.99 mW kg -1 ) and corresponding to only 3.62% of the ICNIRP limit (2 W kg -1 ). Simultaneously, CNS tissues exhibit significant increases in SAR 10g values, with grey matter displaying the most pronounced elevation (9.58 times), exceeding that of white matter (9.08 times) and thalamus (8.99 times). All results remain below the ICNIRP limits, confirming that V2V communication systems pose no health risks to drivers and provide a basis for occupant protection in connected vehicles.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Health Physics
Published
2026-03-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1097/hp.0000000000002145
Primary Topic
Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Effects
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Safety Assessment of Sunroof Status on Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Exposure Levels for Drivers in Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication

Yao Song, Mai Lu
Health Physics
Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Effects
article

Safety Assessment of Sunroof Status on Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Exposure Levels for Drivers in Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication

Yao Song, Mai Lu
article en

Abstract

With the widespread application of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology, sunroofs have enhanced user experience while introducing novel electromagnetic exposure scenarios that may pose health risks to drivers. This study employs COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate three sunroof scenarios (no sunroof, sunroof closed, and sunroof open) to assess human exposure levels. The computational models incorporate a full-scale vehicle, a V2V antenna, and an anatomical human model. The whole-body averaged specific absorption rate (SARwb) and SAR averaged over 10g tissues (SAR 10g ) in the central nervous system (CNS) are assessed against the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) public exposure limits. The results indicate that the sunroof open condition (worst-case exposure scenario) significantly increases SAR deposition, with SARwb reaching 0.318 mW kg -1 (0.396% of the ICNIRP limit of 0.08 W kg -1 ). This value represents a 1.45 times and 4.68 times increase compared to the sunroof closed and no sunroof conditions, respectively. In the worst-case exposure scenario, the superficial skin tissue exhibits the maximum SAR 10g (72.39 mW kg -1 ), representing a 29.30% increase compared to the sunroof closed state (55.99 mW kg -1 ) and corresponding to only 3.62% of the ICNIRP limit (2 W kg -1 ). Simultaneously, CNS tissues exhibit significant increases in SAR 10g values, with grey matter displaying the most pronounced elevation (9.58 times), exceeding that of white matter (9.08 times) and thalamus (8.99 times). All results remain below the ICNIRP limits, confirming that V2V communication systems pose no health risks to drivers and provide a basis for occupant protection in connected vehicles.

Health Physics
Lanzhou Jiaotong University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Effects
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.