Cue threatening music and ominous voiceover: An environmental advocacy group has published its latest list of the toxic and hazardous materials lurking within new vehicles.
Researchers at The Ecology Center sampled 11 components on more than 200 new vehicles, testing for the presence of 11 chemicals such as lead, mercury, bromine and chromium. The off-gassing of such materials contribute to the intoxicating aroma known as "new car smell," which is less the odor of fine Corrrrrinthian leather than the off-gassing of volatile organic compounds from glue, plastic and flame retardant.
Before you panic, it's important to note there's no guarantee that you'll end up exposed to harmful levels of any of these substances — unless you regularly drink smoothies made from car armrests. It's also worth stating that automakers have been reducing the amount of toxic materials in their cars. For example, the guide notes that 17 percent of new vehicles have PVC-free interiors and 60 percent are made without brominated flame retardants.
Still, the researchers note that the average American spends more than 90 minutes in a vehicle each day, and exposure to these chemicals can be a major source of indoor air pollution.
The researchers didn't measure how much of each chemical a typical passenger might encounter, but instead focused on the mere presence of toxic materials. Other studies have shown that exposure levels are higher when a car is new, when the windows closed and on hot, sunny days. Automobiles are particularly brutal environments for plastic because high temperatures can increase the concentration of volatile organic compounds. Whether drivers should be worried remains an open question: In 2007, a German researcher found that new car smell may not be toxic but could make allergies worse.
The nonprofit in Ann Arbor, Michigan, condensed its data into an easy-to-read chart available on the HealthyStuff.org website.
"Each of these data points is a PPM [parts per million] reading for a specific chemical in a particular component," said Jeff Gearhart, the study's research director. "Our 0-5 ratings are an effort to boil this down to a single usable number consumers can use to compare vehicles."
There's also a smartphone app available for quick comparisons of various vehicles. It's always good to know what went into making your new car. If a manufacturing process involved toxic chemicals, there's a chance it's not as environmentally friendly as it could've been. And years down the road, recycling a car will be easier when you don't have to dispose of hazardous materials.
Since studies on the toxicity of "new car smell" first hit the cable news circuit a few years back, many automakers have switched to less hazardous materials and sharply curtailed the use of things like polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Many automakers are replacing replacing PVC with polyurethanes and polyolefins.
"We have seen [a] trend toward reduction of PVC use in vehicles since 2006 and Honda has led the industry with 83 percent of their vehicles we tested this year being PVC-free," Gearhart said.
Images: The Ecology Center
