Inhale after a short time
Maybe you like the smell of a new car and you’re not alone. Yet there is a downside. You can experience harmful effects even if you’ve only been in the car for a short time, according to new research.
The new car smell, described by many as nice, is caused by volatile organic compounds given off by leather, plastic and vinyl, as well as by chemicals used to attach and seal car parts. Unfortunately, this also contains hazardous substances. Sitting in a new car for just thirty minutes each day exposes you to dangerous levels of the carcinogens formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. That researchers conclude from Harvard University and the Beijing Institute of Technology.
The researchers measured the concentration of the 20 common chemicals in the air of new cars that were parked outside for 12 consecutive days. The amount of formaldehyde was 35 percent above the limit. The amount of acealdehyde was 61 percent higher than the standard. Exposure to high levels of formaldehyde can cause myeloid leukemia and rare cancers of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. Acetaldehyde has been categorized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable human carcinogen. Incidentally, in 2021 a similar study by the University of California revealed that the carcinogenic substances benzene and formaldehyde also exceeded safe levels. This already happened during car journeys of only twenty minutes.
Fortunately, the car industry is not sitting still and more and more car manufacturers are using other substances (sometimes water-based) that release fewer or no gases. The use of more natural materials is also increasing. A simple way to prevent the inhalation of too many gases as much as possible is to switch on the ventilation in the car and do not use the recirculation mode. If the weather is pleasant, you can of course also just open a window.
Photo of interior purely for illustration.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl