FAQ Friday: What Is That Strange Smell In My Car? Is It Dangerous?
If you search under the word "smell" our Forums, you'll find car buyers writing in to ask about smells in their car that don't seem quite right. These questions pop up consistently and sometimes lead to discussions of potentially unsafe chemicals in vehicles, as it has with the discussion of a sulfur smell coming from the Toyota 4Runner.
But it's not just that new car smell that could be harmful. A car has thousands of chemicals in its very composition, plus hundreds or thousands more required for its operation (like air conditioning, for example). There's a rising tide of concerned car buyers and health advocates who feel that those chemicals could be toxic to both drivers and passengers -- particularly children, who are more vulnerable.
HealthyStuff.org, which tests a wide variety of consumer products for toxic chemicals, has issued new report that includes results on more than 700 new and used cars, as well as kids' car seats. The Ten Best and Ten Worst are above. Among the findings:
- The US-made Pontiac G5 and Chevy Cobalt rated best overall 2009 vehicles.
- Chemical levels in some vehicles are 5-10 times higher than in homes or offices.
- Over half (58%) of car seats contain one or more hazardous chemicals, including PVC, BFRs and heavy metals.
- The Baby Trend Flex-Loc; the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat; and the Graco Turbo Booster had none of the toxic chemicals that the group tested for.
HealthyStuff is endorsing a new Congressional bill, introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg and Representative Bobby Rush, to reform the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) - the current federal law for regulating chemicals. To date, the EPA has required testing on only about 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals that have been on the market since the law was passed 33 years ago.
According to the group, the reforms would phase out the most dangerous chemicals from the manufacturing process; require industry to take responsibility for the safety of their products; and use the best science to protect vulnerable groups. (Note that Europe already has much tighter controls on chemicals in manufacturing.)
Whether you consider government regulation of toxic chemical unnecessary interference with industry or a minimum safety standard that industrial societies should expect, it's worth a look at HealthyStuff.org to see how the products you use every day, including your car, rank. See their site for full reports.
- Posted by
- Joanne Helperin September 18, 2009, 11:00 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Automotive Consumer News, Car Safety, FAQ Friday
I wonder why the Cobalt would be on the best list but the Impala is on the worst list. Knowing how GM works, the 2 cars are made of parts from the same suppliers and use the same materials.
Hard to believe they would be so far apart in results unless their testing is flawed.
Is the G5 that good that it deserves TWO top-ten spots?
Considering that we car writers spend more time in new cars than anyone else and that my personal car suffers from the same crayon chemical smell that afflicted our long-term M3, I figure I should be a good test subject for whether any of this chemicals in cars worrying is worth all the bother. I'll let you know if I show up dead in a few years.
-Riswick
Of course the G5 earns 2 top spots that's why GM killed it. Honestly I don't know why it has 2 top spots but it's a shame some great cars(i.e. G8) didn't make it to the new GM.
Yet another reason to buy a used car that's had a couple of years to outgas.
And then people hang formaldehyde "trees" from their mirror to refresh the new car smell. Yikes.
jriz -- Not dead, just brain damaged... oh wait....