Published on 11/23/2006

A study by a highly respected organization has found that benzene levels, a known carcinogen, in some new cars is as high as 500% above the recommended exposure limit - and that's not the only chemical in what is a toxic cocktail of whiffs.

Carcinogenic cars

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 :)