Taken fr The Star Online.
Wednesday October 5, 2005
By HANS GREIMEL
Anyone who’s pulled away from the dealer’s lot in a shiny, new sedan knows the seductive scent of fresh plastic, paint and upholstery that evokes a rush of pride and consumer satisfaction.
But that unmistakable new-car smell may soon be heading the way of the rumble seat: recent research linking it to a toxic cocktail of harmful chemicals is spurring efforts by Japanese automakers to tone down the fumes.
Japanese manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corp, have become the first to set an industry-wide goal of reducing cabin concentrations to within government guidelines. The push could spur similar action by European and US rivals, making interior air quality an emerging auto safety issue.
The new-car smell emanates largely from chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that leach from glues, paints, vinyls and plastics in the passenger compartment. The fumes can trigger headaches, sore throats, nausea and drowsiness. Prolonged exposure to some of the chemicals can lead to cancer, though there’s no evidence linking that to concentrations in cars.
Critics liken the problem to so-called sick-building syndrome, which traces some illnesses to similar agents seeping from the walls, carpets and fixtures of new buildings.
Just sitting in a new car can subject riders to toxic emissions several times the limits deemed safe for homes or offices by some health authorities, though the problem tends to dissipate after about six months, according to a 2001 study by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
“We find new car interiors have much higher VOC levels than any building we’ve researched,” research leader Steve Brown said. “Ultimately, what we need are cars with interior materials that produce lower emissions.”
Japanese automakers are now trying to do just that.
Most of Japan’s top five makers are already rolling out cars in compliance and touting the lower VOC levels as a key selling point, a move that is likely to catch on globally.
Brown doesn’t know of any government with VOC guidelines for car interiors, but says matching building levels is a good start. Japan’s recommendations were adopted in 2002 to combat sick-building syndrome.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency sets no guidelines for VOCs in non-industrial settings, though formaldehyde is regulated as a carcinogen by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The Washington-based Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents nine carmakers, says it doesn’t follow the issue of VOCs. Ford said it’s actively trying to reduce them and General Motors said it’s monitoring the issue globally; neither automaker would elaborate.
Toyota, Japan’s largest automaker, currently has six models on the road that meet the new standards, while Nissan has four. Honda’s new Civic, unveiled this month, is that company’s first, while Mitsubishi will begin its lineup with the “i” next year.
All say they are on track to have all new models pass muster from 2007.
The changes affect cars built in Japan for the domestic market and export, but concrete plans to lower VOCs in vehicles built overseas are largely up in the air.
Cutting levels will initially cost more because the changes are being introduced with new models one at a time and therefore lack economies of scale. There are also additional research costs for finding alternative materials.
Nissan, for example, has changed its seats, door trim, carpets and adhesives, while Honda has added an air conditioning filter that absorbs some of the harmful substances. Toyota revamped a trunk lining, and Mazda is focusing on new adhesives.
Getting all the smell out, however, is still a tall order. Simply filling up the gasoline tank contributes to VOC levels.
And while some customers complain about the new-car smell, others cherish it enough to have spawned a cottage industry in aerosol “new-car sprays” to keep their rides smelling fresh from the factory.
“Some people are annoyed by the smell and some people love it,” Honda spokesman Takayuki Fuji notes. – AP
Wednesday October 5, 2005
By HANS GREIMEL
Anyone who’s pulled away from the dealer’s lot in a shiny, new sedan knows the seductive scent of fresh plastic, paint and upholstery that evokes a rush of pride and consumer satisfaction.
But that unmistakable new-car smell may soon be heading the way of the rumble seat: recent research linking it to a toxic cocktail of harmful chemicals is spurring efforts by Japanese automakers to tone down the fumes.
Japanese manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corp, have become the first to set an industry-wide goal of reducing cabin concentrations to within government guidelines. The push could spur similar action by European and US rivals, making interior air quality an emerging auto safety issue.
The new-car smell emanates largely from chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that leach from glues, paints, vinyls and plastics in the passenger compartment. The fumes can trigger headaches, sore throats, nausea and drowsiness. Prolonged exposure to some of the chemicals can lead to cancer, though there’s no evidence linking that to concentrations in cars.
Critics liken the problem to so-called sick-building syndrome, which traces some illnesses to similar agents seeping from the walls, carpets and fixtures of new buildings.
Just sitting in a new car can subject riders to toxic emissions several times the limits deemed safe for homes or offices by some health authorities, though the problem tends to dissipate after about six months, according to a 2001 study by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
“We find new car interiors have much higher VOC levels than any building we’ve researched,” research leader Steve Brown said. “Ultimately, what we need are cars with interior materials that produce lower emissions.”
Japanese automakers are now trying to do just that.
Most of Japan’s top five makers are already rolling out cars in compliance and touting the lower VOC levels as a key selling point, a move that is likely to catch on globally.
Brown doesn’t know of any government with VOC guidelines for car interiors, but says matching building levels is a good start. Japan’s recommendations were adopted in 2002 to combat sick-building syndrome.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency sets no guidelines for VOCs in non-industrial settings, though formaldehyde is regulated as a carcinogen by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The Washington-based Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents nine carmakers, says it doesn’t follow the issue of VOCs. Ford said it’s actively trying to reduce them and General Motors said it’s monitoring the issue globally; neither automaker would elaborate.
Toyota, Japan’s largest automaker, currently has six models on the road that meet the new standards, while Nissan has four. Honda’s new Civic, unveiled this month, is that company’s first, while Mitsubishi will begin its lineup with the “i” next year.
All say they are on track to have all new models pass muster from 2007.
The changes affect cars built in Japan for the domestic market and export, but concrete plans to lower VOCs in vehicles built overseas are largely up in the air.
Cutting levels will initially cost more because the changes are being introduced with new models one at a time and therefore lack economies of scale. There are also additional research costs for finding alternative materials.
Nissan, for example, has changed its seats, door trim, carpets and adhesives, while Honda has added an air conditioning filter that absorbs some of the harmful substances. Toyota revamped a trunk lining, and Mazda is focusing on new adhesives.
Getting all the smell out, however, is still a tall order. Simply filling up the gasoline tank contributes to VOC levels.
And while some customers complain about the new-car smell, others cherish it enough to have spawned a cottage industry in aerosol “new-car sprays” to keep their rides smelling fresh from the factory.
“Some people are annoyed by the smell and some people love it,” Honda spokesman Takayuki Fuji notes. – AP
