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I freely admit it, I love the smell of a new car and I'm really not sure why :).
It turns out that the new car smell may be highly toxic. A study by the very highly respected Australian organization, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) found that benzene levels in some new car as high as 500% above the recommended exposure limit. Benzene is a known carcinogen; i.e. causes cancer. Some of the other dangerous chemicals that create the new car smell are:
Acetone - a known irritant Xylene isomers - harmful to foetuses Formaldehyde - carcinogen Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDBE)
Of course, that's not to mention the damage done to the environment in the production of vehicles.
If you have purchased a new car or are about to, you might want to consider also factoring in a car air purifier into your budget.
Do you have any green tips for minimizing or removing these toxic vapors from your car - please share them below :)
I have no idea if it will work but maybe cleaning the seats and capet with soap and water might help. I don't know if I would feel confortable doing that to a new car. Or if possible resist to urge to drive your new car for a few days and leave the windows open.
Comment #2
(Posted by nancy)
This new car smell takes at least 6 months
to get rid of the fumes. Keep your windows open and
try vinegar.
Comment #3
(Posted by elihu baer)
i have a chevy impala for over a year and have tried everything to get rid of the voc's and my wife still gets migraines every time she gets into it does anyone have anyyyyyyy idea what i can do i even called gm and they have no answer
Comment #4
(Posted by Bosco (Hong Kong))
I put barbecue charcoal (break it into pieces first) under the front seats and it works for reducing interior smell.
Comment #5
(Posted by Mr. X.)
I have two suggestions:
1. Have a detailing shop run an ozone generator in the car for a few hours.
2. Buy and use an auto air cleaner that uses activated carbon. The best I've found are made by E.L. Foust.
