High Levels of Toxic Chemicals Found in  Car Interiors, New Study Says

 Volvo Found to be Least Toxic Car Demonstrating Feasibility of  Safe Alternatives; Other Companies Urged to Follow Suit
 Group: 'New car smell' includes toxins
 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - A Michigan environmental group is charging that at least part of the so-called "new car smell" is toxic, and that the interior of an automobile has dangerous levels of various chemicals.

 

It called for tougher regulations to phase out the use of the chemicals as well as voluntary moves by the auto manufacturers to stop using the products inside of new vehicles.

It also suggested that car owners take steps to reduce the release and breakdown of these chemicals by using solar reflectors, ventilating car interiors, and parking outside of sunlight whenever possible.

The group says that phthalates are partly responsible for the smell associated with new cars.

Drivers and passengers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust, according to the group's report.
 

"These groups of chemicals have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and early puberty in laboratory animals, among other serious health problems," according to the report.

"We can no longer rely just on seatbelts and airbags to keep us safe ! in cars," said a statement from Jeff Gearhart, the Ecology Center's Clean Car Campaign Director who co-authored the report. "Our research shows that autos are chemical reactors, releasing toxins before we even turn on the ignition. There are safer alternatives to these chemicals, and innovative companies that develop them first will likely be rewarded by consumers."

The group found Volvo was found to have the lowest levels of phthalates and the second-lowest levels of PBDEs, which it said made the Ford Motor Co. (Research)-owned unit the industry leader in terms of indoor air quality. Volvo also has the toughest policies for phasing out these chemicals.

Other auto manufacturers had more mixed records on the two types of chemicals, according to the group's survey. For example, Korean auto manufacturer Hyund! ai had the lowest level of PBDEs, but the highest level of phthalates.

The group said it was told by Ford officials that the auto manufacturer has eliminated PBDEs from "interior components that customers may come into contact with." Ford had among the lowest level of PBDEs in its vehicles, and General Motors (Research) and BMW vehicles also had lower-than-average levels for all chemicals tested. But Mercedes, Chrysler, Toyota and Subaru had higher-than-average levels of both PBDEs and phthalates.

In response to the study, one industry group defended the use of PBDEs as an important contributor to vehicle safety.

he Bromine Science and Environmental Forum said in a statement that PBDEs known as Deca-BDE have been extensively studied in the U.S. and Europe -- including a 10-year-long risk assessment -- and found to be safe for continued use.

"If automobile manufacturers follow the guidance in the report, it could result in lowering fire safety for the public, as well as promoting the use of unidentified alternative substances about which very little may be known," said the group's statement. It said it is crucial that autos have the best possible flame retardants available in case of accidents.

"In 2004 alone, there were approximately 297,000 car fires in the United States, leading to 550 deaths. If effective flame retardants were not used, this number would certainly be higher," the group's statement said.

Auto manufacturers have already agreed to phase out two of the three flame-retardant chemicals cited in the report, Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, told the Detroit News. The remaining chemical has been studied by the European Union for 10 years and has been proven safe, S! hosteck said.

The report was released Jan. 11 during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but it received little attention outside of Michigan.

Looks like Betty' supreme (and my little by comparison) efforts with the FDA Petition started something big. It's about time this information is coming forth in a big way.

After we found phthalates in perfumes, through our two laboratory analyses of perfumed products, which became the basis of EHN's FDA Citizens' Petition 99P-1340, Betty and I started writing far and wide that phthalates were an important component of fragrances -- they help make the scent last -- and folks should look beyond just plastics for phthalates. I believe that one can do a pretty good job of avoiding phthalates to a large extent by avoiding plastics -- of course, some will always get you because they are pervasive. BUT, fragrances are ubiquitous and they affect you from the products used by others. When fabric softeners waft unbidden throughout an entire neighborhood, when you work with or receive healthcare from someone who is wearing fragrances, you are breathing in those toxins. They become one with you.

We GET IT, when will the FDA? When they hear from enough people, they may start to get it. In the meantime, while there are some good, conscientious folks with the FDA, the agency as a whole, appears to bend to industry. PHARMACEUTICAL and flavors and fragrances . . . and remember, pharmaceuticals own fragrances. What an economic boom for them. Products to make people sick, products to help them keep going . . . for a little while. Then they die one of the premature deaths associated with prescribed medicines or they suffer iatrogenic illnesses and disabilities, or they've gone into MCS and realize their bodies can't handle drugs. (My version.) Barbara Wilkie

www.ehnca.org