Watch out for that new car smell!!! The "new car smell" is toxic, the interior of an automobile has dangerous levels of various chemicals. PBDEs, used as fire retardants, and phthalates, used primarily to soften PVC plastics, are found in dangerous amounts in dust and windshield film samples. Phthalates are partly responsible for the smell associated with new cars. Drivers and passengers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust. These groups of chemicals have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and early puberty in laboratory animals, among other serious health problems. Volvo was found to have the lowest levels of phthalates and the second-lowest levels of PBDEs. Other auto manufacturers had more mixed records on the two types of chemicals. one industry group defended the use of PBDEs as an important contributor to vehicle safety. The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum said in a statement that PBDEs known as Deca-BDE have been extensively studied in the U.S. and Europe -- including a 10-year-long Auto manufacturers have already agreed to phase out two of the three flame-retardant chemicals cited in the report, Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, told the Detroit News. The remaining chemical has been studied by the European Union for 10 years and has been proven safe, Shosteck said.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 20:29:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015