More on internal harmful emissions from your car
We spend lots of time concerning ourselves about the amounts of harmful carbon dioxide that our cars are emitting into the air outside, but we should be thinking about the harmful emissions inside as well. Here is an example of how the internal emissions from the interior of a car has caused its owner some grief. After forty-five minutes of sitting in the car, he was ready to fall asleep due to the carbon monoxide emissions from the various plastics and fabrics which made up the majority of the vehicle's interior.
According to this article, newer cars tend to be significantly worse than older ones. Additionally, the more expensive the car the less likely the materials are to make you feel sick. Other potential problem areas could even include child safety seats. Major organizations such as the EPA realize that there are potential risks inside cars, but there is currently no regulation on the issue. Manufacturers vary in their amount of concern on the issue, with Volvo taking it very seriously, Toyota working to reduce their chemical impact and Honda not being sure that there is a problem at all. Out best (and non-legally-binding) advice: let your nose be your guide.
[Source: Automotive Blogs, MSNBC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RickM 1:45PM (2/18/2008)
Actually the guy was inhaling carbon monoxide leaking into the passenger compartment of his (older) car. According to the liniked articles, treated plastics give off a variety of toxins and carcinogens, but there's no indication that they emit CO.
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rgseidl 2:06PM (2/18/2008)
Carbon monoxide inside a car is due to exhaust gases entering via the ventilation system and is poisonous. Extended exposure to high levels can cause severe brain damage or death.
Another matter altogether are the volatile organic compounds (basically, solvents) emitted by the interiors of new vehicles. That "new car smell" is actually anything but healthy.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/18/INGAUJDPVI1.DTL
Some manufacturers have taken measures to curb these emissions to protect both customers and assembly line workers.
On a related note, some also equip their ventilation systems with HEPA filters to keep ambient pollution incl. pollen and other PM from entering the passenger cabin.
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rar 4:33PM (2/18/2008)
I think I would get sick if I had to look at that interior of that car every day. And to think people complain about the way a Dodge interior looks.
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Wise Golden 6:46PM (2/18/2008)
Jeremy, are you serious? How dumb do you think we are? Why not just print nothing if you have nothing to say. When you make crazy statements like this, you make the environmental movement look loopy.
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Mattias 6:04AM (2/19/2008)
#3: The interior shows a UK spec Peugeot 205, ca. 1989 in the special edition "Green". In real life the colors where more pale, so it did not suck that much.
But I'm still happy that my 205 had the more boring gray interior colors.
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L.Wood 10:59AM (2/19/2008)
Much of the environmental movement is loopy. No improvement is enough for the radical environmentalists who believe the earth would be better off without humans. Why they don't lead the charge to eliminate humans from earth by killing themselves is a mystery to me.
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