IS YOUR CAR'S INTERIOR MAKING YOU SICK?

Ever wondered about that dreary film which builds-up inside the windshield of your car or truck? Not outside, which can be taken care of easily enough; inside.

For years I’ve thought, “Hey, that stuff probably isn’t too good for anyone, whatever the heck it is,” but unfortunately, I didn’t know the half of it. Turns out there’s more to it than that “new car smell,” that there’s a veritable bouillabaisse of toxic fumes being released by the many different plastics and other chemicals used in car interiors. (Above - Automotive assembly lines are dangerous places, with injuries to workers a daily threat; line workers and consumers should be able to feel safe about their work and the cars they buy, Below - It's the interiors we need to worry about, not necessarily the outside of our vehicles).

Folks of a certain age might remember TV ads for a liquid dishwashing soap called Palmolive. In them, a woman is at her hairdresser, getting a manicure. Madge, the manicurist, is regaling this customer with the benefits of Palmolive, and how it's actually good for her hands, as this lady's hand is in a bowl getting, presumbably, softened. The customer asks, incredulous, "Palmolive!?" and Madge the manicurist says, "You're soaking in it!"

Which is a long way of getting to this: That ugly windshield film? We're breathing it!

Now there’s an organization which is measuring these toxins and just released their second annual report on the problem.

The Ecology Center (www.ecocenter.org) describe themselves as a membership-based, nonprofit environmental organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded by community activists after the country's first Earth Day in 1970, the Ecology Center is now a regional leader that works for a safe and healthy environment where people live, work, and play.

Find out more, and see and download the complete report on car interiors and child car seats at (www.healthycar.org). For our purposes, we’ll focus right now on the autos, and on the child car seat ratings in a future post, but very soon. The reports are fascinating; they've even factored-in mpg-ratings so the the highest grades go to vehicles with both a clean interior and better fuel mileage.

Click below for more on the toxins which are found in car interiors, and a short list of the best and worst vehicles.

Acura’s RDX and the Smart Pure were this year’s Least Toxic Cars. General Motors was the Most Improved American Manufacturer, based on comparing last year’s toxin survey results to newer models tested this year.

(Acura's TSX and MDX were both highly-rated).

Mitsubishi’s Eclipse, the Suzuki Reno and the BMW 128i were the Most Toxic Cars.

Last year the Ecology Center’s HealthyCar.org research found the most toxic vehicles were the Nissan Versa, Chevy Aveo, Scion xB 5dr and the Kia Rio.

The least toxic vehicles in last year’s survey were the Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Odyssey and the Volvo V50.

High-rated 2008 cars included the Dodge Nitro and BMW M5; among the low-rated vehicles are the Kia Rondo and the Lincoln Navigator.

Other highly-rated cars from the limited number of 2009 model year cars available are the Acura TSX and Hyundai's SEV6 Sonata. (Hyundai's 2009 Sonata is a sedan with an interior that tested well).

They say that their 2nd Annual Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Cars and Children’s Car Seats is the result of  testing over 200 of the most popular 2008- and 2009-model vehicles and over 60 children's car seats. They were all tested for chemicals that off-gas (produce fumes) from parts such as the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats, and carpet. These chemicals become part of the air we breathe, contributing to "new car smell" and a variety of acute and long-term health concerns.

Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in a car every day, says the report, toxic chemical exposure inside vehicles is a major source of potential indoor air pollution. Children are the most vulnerable population since their systems are still developing.

Chemicals of primary concern to this group included: bromine (associated with brominated flame retardants); chlorine (indicating the presence of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC and phthalates); lead; and heavy metals. Such chemicals have been linked to a wide range of health problems such as allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, and cancer.

Feeling ill yet? Try thinking about this next time you get in any car or truck:

Other chemicals tested as part of this survey include antimony, arsenic, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, nickel and tin. The substances in this category, says the report, are allergens, carcinogens, or cause other adverse health impacts depending on the concentrations and exposure levels. (GM's hydrogen fuel cell-powered Equinox emits nothing but water vapor, but is the interior as clean as its exterior?)

The same chemicals that cause human health issues can also cause problems in the environment. When vehicles are discarded at the end of their life, the majority of plastic and other non-metallic parts are shredded and put in landfills or burned in incinerators. When discarded in landfills, harmful chemicals contained in vehicle plastics can leach out and contaminate soil and water. When incinerated, toxic chemicals are dispersed throughout the atmosphere.

Currently, many European nations are far ahead of the US when it comes to making vehicles with parts made to be easily recycled. We'll soon have a posting on the recyclability of cars built in North America, Europe and Asia.

Here’s some of the testing methodology used: A portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device was used to analyze the elemental composition of vehicle and child car seat components in this guide. A total of 11 components from each vehicle were selected for sampling, including: the steering wheel, shift knob, armrest/center console, dashboard, headliner, carpet, seat front, seat back, seat base, hard and soft doortrim. Vehicle ratings were calculated based on the XRF results from the 11 vehicle components that were tested on all vehicles. Vehicle samples were taken over two testing periods.

These folks certainly sound like they know what they're doing.

Overall, the report says that several auto manufacturers showed improvement over last year's findings, including Mazda, General Motors and Nissan. General Motors, whose average vehicle ranking improved by 27%, showed the most improvement of the domestic automakers. (Nissan's gasoline/electric Altima hybrid uses engine technology borrowed from Toyota, but the company is developing their own hybrids and EV models).

The group also informs us that the law regulating chemicals in commerce, the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), is 30 years old and needs an overhaul. Visitors to HealthyCar.org are encouraged to contact U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (CA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works, and U.S. Representative John Dingell (MI), Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and ask for oversight hearings on re-writing TSCA. HealthyCar.org is asking for complete health and safety testing on chemicals used in products and industry before they are put on the market, and to promote innovation for safer alternatives.

Since 2007 the Ecology Center's product ratings have received widespread national media attention and now include 450 vehicles and 130 child car seats (both found at www.HealthyCar.org) and over 1,200 toys (found at www.HealthyToys.org).