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Topic: New car smell

	CNN.com - Environmental group contends car interiors pose toxic risk - Jan 31, 2006
		NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - A Michigan environmental group is charging that at least part of the so-called "new car smell" is toxic, and that the interior of an automobile has dangerous levels of various chemicals.
		It also suggested that car owners take steps to reduce the release and breakdown of these chemicals by using solar reflectors, ventilating car interiors, and parking outside of sunlight whenever possible.
		The group says that phthalates are partly responsible for the smell associated with new cars.
	www.cnn.com /2006/AUTOS/01/31/toxic_cars/index.html (730 words)

	Study finds no harm from 'new car smell' - LiveScience- msnbc.com
		The molecules responsible for the characteristic leathery, plastic aroma that suffuses new cars are known as volatile organic compounds.
		New car smell does not appear to be toxic, the scientists found.
		Air from the new car did cause a slight aggravation of the immune response that could affect people with allergies, but the same was not seen with the older vehicle.
	www.msnbc.msn.com /id/18023387 (439 words)

	The "New Car Smell" Proven Not to Be Harmful - Just slightly allergic - Softpedia
		This smell makes us nervous but breathe easy: a new research at the Technical University of Munich in Germany discovered that the new car odor is apparently non-toxic, although it might increase allergies.
		The new investigation looked upon the health effects of volatile chemicals emitted by the cars on conditions similar to those when the cars are parked in hot sunshine.
		New car volatile chemicals did not inflict any toxic effect but air from the new car did trigger a slight immune activity in people with allergies, effect not observed in older cars.
	news.softpedia.com /news/The-New-Car-Smell-Proven-to-Be-Harmful-51513.shtml (493 words)

	Can you keep that New Car smell?
		A fact of life and car materials is that eventually the moisture and chemicals that give a new car that smell will go away.
		The scum is the result of gasses off of all the material inside the car mixed with usual dirt in the air and humidity from the air and human breath.
		New items have some of the "new" smell and can add in good new smells from time to time while making you feel better along the way.
	www.dccarcare.com /tipowk/tipowk35.html (850 words)

	Is that New Car Smell Dangerous? - Associated Content
		Opening the car's windows or vents will help clear the interior of poisonous gases, but in heavy traffic, smog may be a bigger health threat.
		Passengers of new cars are subjected to toxic emissions that are well in excess of the limits deemed safe for homes or offices.
		The good news is that VOCs are believed to dissipate after six months, and most Japanese manufacturers are working on reducing the levels of potentially harmful compounds in their newest cars.
	www.associatedcontent.com /article/67679/is_that_new_car_smell_dangerous.html (722 words)

	Karl on Cars - New Car Smell -- Does the Nose Know?
		The only time I have to judge car smells is during auto shows, and I've never really sat in a bad smelling car, I've sat in Hyundai and Kias, even their lowest models, and never really smelled anything bad.
		I believe a lot of the "new car smell" is about the quality of the adhesives and other materials used in the car- higher quality equals better smell and less toxicity.
		To those that think the quality of the smell is influenced by the personal impression of the car, bear in mind that I absolutely hated these cars with the fire of a thousand suns, but I liked to sit in them in the driveway and bask in the wonderful aroma.
	blogs.edmunds.com /.ee92318 (2082 words)

	STATS.org - It’s the Exhaust Fumes, Stupid
		New car smell health scare stinks: Ecology Center study measures use of plastics not level in car air.
		Of all the ways automobiles pollute the air we breathe, the fragrance given off by the interior of a new car is probably not the one we should be currently worrying about, especially given recent research linking the particulates in truck exhaust fumes to asthma rates in New York’s South Bronx.
		The Ecology Center determined that the chemical components in the plastic were dangerous not by referencing the Environmental Protection Agency or EU risk assessments, but by citing the OSPAR Commission, which has the goal of protecting marine life in the North East Atlantic from environmental pollution.
	www.stats.org /stories/its_fumes_nov17_06.htm (603 words)

	ABC News: New Car Smell Could Be Dangerous
		Some people can't get enough of that new car smell, but studies show the odor can be bad for your health.
		"New car smell" is caused by volatile organic compounds that can cause headaches, sore throat, nausea and possibly cancer, according to studies.
		Once the new cars are on American soil, it may push American and European automakers to take action as well.
	abcnews.go.com /GMA/Health/story?id=1162701 (321 words)

	New Car Smell - AOL Autos
		Ah, that new car smell, that eau de car-logne; it does an ego good while it does a wallet bad.
		In a 2006 industry-awakening report entitled "Toxic At Any Speed: Chemicals in Cars and the Need for Safe Alternatives", this independent green organization declared that much of the material in most car interiors that produce that new car smell is made with toxic chemicals known to pose major public health risks.
		There is an average of 250 pounds of plastic in new cars, the largest portion used for interior seat cushions, arm rests, door panels, steering wheels, dashboards, wire insulation and the plethora of aircraft-type knobs and switch controls throughout a car's cockpit.
	autos.aol.com /article/general/v2/_a/new-car-smell/20070709103709990001 (1545 words)

	Auto Diagnosis - What's That Smell? - Popular Mechanics
		Actually, new cars haven't had that smell since manufacturers took the solvents out of the glues in the interior in an attempt to save a lot of UAW members' livers.
		The smell seems to eminate from the fire wall area when running but is not evident under the hood.
		Smells when heat is on and when the car warms in the sun.
	www.popularmechanics.com /how_to_central/automotive/2423551.html (2725 words)

	Factory air / That new car smell you savor is really an airborne soup of chemicals that could prove hazardous to your ...
		To make matters worse, the volume of air within a car is so much smaller than most occupied building spaces, and a car's large window-to-body ratio means high heat gain, increasing the potential for chemicals to be emitted into the air.
		For the consumer, the study encourages drivers to ventilate their cars, use a reflector shield and park in the shade to minimize the chemical effects from sun exposure.
		The energy-saving efforts of Toyota and other progressive car manufacturers are praiseworthy, but carmakers have yet to catch up to the green building movement by designing cars that are environmentally friendly in other ways.
	www.sfgate.com /cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/18/INGAUJDPVI1.DTL (1606 words)

	Scent of danger comes with new car smell - 10/12/05
		But that unmistakable new-car smell may soon be heading the way of the rumble seat: Recent research linking it to a toxic cocktail of harmful chemicals is spurring efforts by Japanese automakers to tone down the fumes.
		Just sitting in a new car can subject riders to toxic emissions several times the limits deemed safe for homes or offices by some health authorities, though the problem tends to dissipate after about six months, according to a 2001 study by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
		While some customers complain about the new-car smell, others cherish it enough to have spawned a cottage industry in aerosol "new-car sprays" to keep their rides smelling fresh from the factory.
	www.detnews.com /2005/autosconsumer/0510/12/F01-345640.htm (828 words)

	Toxic chemicals behind 'new car smell': report
		A new report from a U.S. environmental group suggests the "new car smell" long beloved by the purchasers of vehicles could be a sign of harmful chemicals inside the car.
		Much of the smell comes from plastics and materials used inside the car, from the steering wheel to the dashboard to the carpets — parts often made with chemicals including flame retardants, plasticizers and other chemicals that can give off gas or leach into the environment.
		The group rated the cars according to relative level of health and environmental concern associated with the chemicals in the vehicle, in comparison with other vehicles tested.
	www.cbc.ca /consumer/story/2007/03/26/new-car-smell.html (988 words)

	Reducing That New Car Smell
		Buying a car which is a few years old is another way to shortcut the offgassing process, as long as the car hasn’t had air fresheners in it, or been driven by a smoker or someone using fabric softener or fragranced products.
		Similarly, if you are buying a new car, pass up the free cleaning and waxing, or ask the dealer to use a cleaner and cloths which you provide.
		Even after a car has offgassed the worst of its chemical odors, Toxic at Any Speed from the Michigan Ecology Center recommends frequent cleaning of car interiors to remove chemicals which continue to be released and then settle on interior surfaces.
	www.environmentalhealth.ca /summer07reducingcarsmell.html (879 words)

	Going Beyond New-Car Smell - WSJ.com
		But increasingly, car makers are wooing customers by appealing to their other senses, to enhance the way new cars will feel, sound and even smell.
		The idea is to create a system that Renault and other car makers can use when dealing with their suppliers.
		Rhys notes that car makers are constantly trying to convince consumers they're getting more car for their money.
	online.wsj.com /article/SB119032188986334335.html?mod=rss_Autos_Main (1092 words)

	C&EN: WHAT'S THAT STUFF? - NEW CAR SMELL
		Each car manufacturer has its own standard for total VOCs in cars, one car company spokesman says, but he is unaware of any government standards regulating air quality inside new vehicles.
		Individual components of new car smell probably aren't harmful at the concentrations found in cars, but the cumulative effects of long-term exposure to the total mix of VOCs could pose health problems.
		And the few publicly avail-able studies that identify VOCs in new cars don't report phthalates among the primary components of the total VOC mixture.
	pubs.acs.org /cen/whatstuff/stuff/8020stuff.html (986 words)

	Human Nose Detects New-Car Smell
		A smoky car with overflowing ashtrays, which has stood in the sun for a couple of hours, would be ranked ‘5 — Highly unpleasant’ on the Volvo Cars smell test scale.
		The odour in the passenger compartment of a car is evaluated on an international scale from 1 to 6.
		The panel evaluates the smell from the interior trim items on a scale from 1 to 6, on which ‘1’ indicates ‘Not noticeable’ and ‘6’ is ‘Unbearable’.
	www.swedespeed.com /news/publish/Volvo_News/printer_234.html (474 words)

	About that 'new car smell'
		reports that PBDEs, used as fire retardants, and phthalates, used primarily to soften PVC plastics (and partly responsible for "new car smell"), are found in dangerous amounts in dust and windshield film samples.
		According to the study, solar exposure in cars can be 5 times higher than in homes or offices.
		Additional legislation is being considered in at least 6 other states, as well as revisions of existing legislation to extend PBDE phase-outs to all uses of deca form, including automotive.
	eartheasy.com /article_new_car_smell.htm (603 words)

	New Luxury-Car Specifications: Styling. Performance. Aroma.
		General Motors is bringing an Australian sports car to America as a reborn Pontiac GTO muscle car, with a computer-designed roar for the previously quiet engine.
		Asian automakers tend to focus on eliminating sounds and smells, and that has helped bolster their quality rankings: consider that the most frequent complaint among car buyers is that they hear too much wind noise.
		But thus far, the focus inside the car has been on odor elimination, partly in an effort to remove some fumes that studies have shown can be toxic.
	www.nytimes.com /2003/10/25/automobiles/25SMEL.html?ex=1382414400&en=b48dd59fb7a1910c&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND (837 words)

	BBC News \| ASIA-PACIFIC \| New car smell linked to cancer
		Researchers in Australia say the smell of new cars can be toxic and can even cause cancer.
		A two-year study by an Australian government research organisation found gases from vinyl and plastic materials in new cars cause headaches, nausea and drowsiness.
		He advised people who buy new cars to take measures to ensure plenty of fresh air circulates within the car while driving for the first six months.
	news.bbc.co.uk /1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1719214.stm (274 words)

	Null Hypothesis \| News
		Few odours are more pleasing than that 'new car smell'.
		The new car smell is due to a complex mix of alkanes and substituted benzenes with some ketones and aldehydes thrown in for good measure.
		However, apparently it is standard procedure for car manufacturers to thoughtfully keep the level of chemicals low enough to prevent the windows from repeatedly fogging.
	www.null-hypothesis.co.uk /science/news/item/car_chemistry_smell_poison_odour (309 words)

	Could That New-Car Smell Be Toxic? -- Edmunds.com
		An environmental advocacy group rated more than 200 new vehicles sold in the United States based on the presence of chemicals in interior parts that "off-gas," or evaporate and are thus released into the air.
		These chemicals contribute not only to the new-car smell but also to a "variety of acute and long-term health concerns," according to the Ecology Center, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based group that issued the report.
		The Ecology Center used a portable X-ray fluorescence device to identify the elemental composition of plastics in each vehicle in 15 different components ranging from the steering wheel to carpet to soft door trim — areas that are most likely to be touched or otherwise contribute to human exposure.
	www.edmunds.com /advice/buying/articles/121443/article.html (1672 words)

	The Straight Dope: What exactly causes "new car smell"?
		As a patriotic American I am quite familiar with the "new-car smell" all new cars seem to have.
		I knew, in a general way, that new-car smell was a result of exudates from the plastics and perhaps the adhesives used in the car's interior.
		More than 50 volatile organic compounds were found, suggesting that new-car smell was a mix of lubricants, solvents, adhesives, gasoline, and no doubt some bits from the vinyl, though it's hard to say exactly what.
	www.straightdope.com /classics/a990528.html (574 words)

	HealthyCar.org — Press Release
		Their research shows that brand new car seats are made with several dangerous chemicals that can lead to serious health risks for children.
		Anyone looking to buy a new car seat, or wondering if their child’s current car seat is safe, can visit this site and search by model, or comparison shop between different models.
		While there are numerous substances in car seats that can lead to health and environmental problems, the Ecology Center selected those with known toxicity, persistence, and tendency to build up in people and the environment.
	www.healthycar.org /press.releases.php (1709 words)

	STATS: Measuring the Toxicity of New Car Smell
		Last November STATS noted the arrival of The Ecology Center’s second “Automotive Plastics Report Card,” which added the problem of “car smell” to its list of complaints about the use of plastics in vehicles.
		As Health Day News Columnist Michael Shaw reports, the Center has kept on warning about new car smell, but its methods are still those of the junkyard:
		But, as Shaw notes, a real toxicologist has finally studied new car smell, and the results are rather different from the Ecology Center.
	www.stats.org /stories/2007/measure_toxic_new_car_aug13_07.htm (488 words)

	New Car Smell Bad for Your Health
		There is nothing like the smell of a new car.
		When these materials are brand new they release gases, two known carcinogens that can cause cancer.
		Some people say they like to spray cleaning solutions inside new cars to get rid of that smell, but experts advise against this.
	www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv /healthwatch/1758541.html (414 words)

	[No title]
		Finally that new car smell is being recognized for what it is - a soup of hazardous chemical compounds.
		According to researchers, the wide differences in levels of phthalates and PBDE’s among cars in their study seemed to relate to the manufacturer and the materials used, rather than the age of the car.
		Other ways to decrease VOC levels in new car interiors include buying a model which has been on the lot for a number of months, and “baking out” the car with a combination of heat and ventilation, followed by cleaning.
	www.environmentalhealth.ca /bewarenewcarsmell.htm (838 words)

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