That new-car smell may be a sign of exposure to a host of hazardous chemicals
Apr 2023, phys.org
They tested chemicals released into the air by just one vehicle -- a brand-new, midsize, plug-in hybrid SUV in a local outdoor parking lot tested every day for 12 consecutive days using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy.
- Air temps ranged from 21°C to 63°C (75F - 145F)
- 20 common volatile organic compounds tested
- Emissions dependent on material surface temperature rather than air temp
- Formaldehyde exceeded Chinese government safety standards at some points by up to 35%*
- Acetaldehyde exceeded standards by 61%*
- Benzene levels described as being unsafe for drivers breathing it for long drives
- They suggest new car buyers ride with the windows open
via mechanical and civil engineers and occupational health scientists with several entities in China and School of Mechanical Engineering and College of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing Vehicle Emissions Management Affairs Center, Beijing Products Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health of Peking University, and Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Haimei Wang et al, Observation, prediction, and risk assessment of volatile organic compounds in a vehicle cabin environment, Cell Reports Physical Science (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101375
*GB/T 27630 - Guideline for Air Quality Assessment of Passenger Cars - Standardization Administration of China, Beijing - 2011
Image credit: AI Art - Elegant Syringe by Ilja Repin - 2023
Further Reading on the Smell of the New and a sommelier describing a bunch of new cars’ smells for Car and Driver magazine back in 2003:
Baked Goods, Network Address, 2018
And for those who venture the New Jersey Turnpike:
What Exit? The Smells of the New JErsey Turnpike, Network Address, 2016
