NOTICE HOW WADS of crisp, newly printed P1,000 bills or the
interior of a brand new car emit certain odors that make you giddy with
delight?
The scent of clean, new money is a wonderful “pick-me-up”
caused by chemicals in the special inks used in printing these bills. You could
literally call the effect produced by these inks “a million peso high.”
The odor emitted by the interior of a brand new car, on the
other hand, comes from the many chemical compounds used to make practically
everything inside the passenger compartment.
Those chemicals, baked by the heat inside the closed
compartment, produce that distinctive “new car smell” that assaults your senses
once you open the car door. You could also describe the effect as a “million
peso high” since many new cars in this country cost over a million pesos.
Unlike the harmless giddiness produced by money, however,
that “new car smell” comes from toxic gases—and could be dangerous to your
health.
PBDEs and phthalates
In 2006, a groundbreaking study released by The Ecology
Center showed that interiors of cars and other motor vehicles contain dangerous
levels of toxic chemicals. The Ecology Center is a membership-based, nonprofit
environmental organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that keeps tabs on
toxic car chemicals.
Its 2006 report entitled, "Toxic At Any Speed:
Chemicals in Cars and the Need for Safe Alternatives," reveals that many
materials producing that “new car smell” are made from toxic chemicals known to
pose major public health risks.
Car interiors are made from different kinds of plastics or
“plasticized” leather. According to health experts, these plastics constantly
emit toxins vaporized from the different plastic components in the car’s
interior.
New cars carry 250 pounds of plastic on average. Most of
these plastics are used in arm rests, door panels, steering wheels, dashboards,
interior seat cushions and switches.
This toxic chemical climate in automobile interiors is
normally caused by “PBDEs,” (chemicals used as fire retardants) and
“phthalates,” (or phthalic acid esters, which are chemicals used to soften PVC
plastics). The study found PBDEs and phthalates in dangerous amounts in dust and
windshield film samples.
PBDEs or Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are organobromine
compounds used as flame retardants. The European Union has banned the use of
PBDEs and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) in electric and electronic devices
out of health concerns.
PBDEs and phthalates are considered volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). These are carbon-based chemicals that can evaporate into the
air under the right conditions such as high temperatures caused by sunlight.
The most prevalent VOCs found in new cars are benzene (a
human carcinogen); ethylbenzene (a systemic toxic agent) and acetone (a mucosal
irritant).
“Off-gassing”
The Ecology Center described cars as “chemical reactors”
that release toxins in a process called “off-gassing.” It said PBDE, phthalates
and other chemicals are inhaled or ingested by drivers and passengers through
dust and air, potentially causing allergic or other acute reactions, and
long-term health problems such as birth defects, impaired learning, liver
toxicity and cancer.
Off-gassing is triggered by high interior temperatures
caused by sunlight, a process that accelerates in cars parked under the sun.
The combination of higher temperatures caused by windshields and windows, and
UV exposure from sunlight can cause PBDEs in cars to become up to five times
more dangerous than in homes and offices.
The study also showed significantly higher levels of PBDEs
in vehicles studied compared to levels in homes and offices measured in
previous studies, making “in-car pollution” a major source of indoor air
pollution.
The study said toxic chemical exposure inside vehicles is a
major source of potential indoor air pollution since the average American
spends about 1.5 hours in a car everyday. Children are the most vulnerable to
off-gassing.
U.S. automakers, however, believe that chemicals such as the
PBDE flame retardants are needed to protect people in crashes. They claim these
chemicals have been shown not to pose a risk to occupants.
“Safe” plastics
The Ecology Center’s website at www.healthycar.org provides a wealth of
information about the dangers of off-gassing. HealthyCar.org tested some 450 of
the most popular vehicle models in the U.S. from 2006-2009.
It noted that two car makers had made significant
improvements since the original findings and had joined another company as the
three leaders in using “safe” plastics for indoor auto parts. The trio also
widely uses bio-based materials; is improving interior air quality and reducing
PVC use.
One maker developed an eco-plastic made from sugar cane or
corn and is building a pilot plant to produce it. Another is developing a
soy-based foam and a bio-fabric for its car seats.
Japanese car makers, however, became the first to set an
industry-wide goal of reducing VOCs in passenger compartments. They agreed to
cut levels of 13 VOCs (including styrene and formaldehyde) to match Japanese
requirements for homes.
A separate study on VOCs, PBDEs and phthalates conducted by
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
(CSIRO) discovered extremely high levels of these substances in new cars.
It found that total VOC levels were very high in two locally
made cars that reached the market one to two months after manufacture. These
levels decreased some seven-fold in the first month, but still exceeded
Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council indoor air standard.
While there is no comparable study in the Philippines, it is
probably safe to assume that Filipino drivers and passengers face the same
dangers from off-gassing as do their American and Australian counterparts.
One must remember, however, that exposure to VOCs, PBDEs and
phthalates does not automatically mean one will get sick.
Among the many factors that determine if new car owners and
their passengers may become ill from off-gassing include exposure to one or
more individual VOCs or VOC combinations that create another compound; length
of time of exposure and personal characteristics such as age and general health
status.
Tips for a healthier
car
Filipino car owners will also benefit from these tips on how
to minimize the dangers from off-gassing and make their cars healthier:
- Vacuum often;
- Use solar reflectors often;
- Ventilate the car interior often;
- Park in the shade or away from sunlight as much as possible
