• An Australian study shows that new-car smell could cause health problems.
• Cases of leukemia and rare nasal cancers may be linked to the compounds behind the smell.
• A phenomenon called “off-gassing” from those compounds is the source of new-car smell.
New-car smell is a universally understood phenomenon. Its power lies in part in the message it sends – that your vehicle is new, or ‘like new’, but perhaps even more in the memories it evokes in people.
What is incredible is that in the case of old cars, when the model is original, we still find a particular smell, decades later.
The materials used are of course responsible for this, so the feeling is different from one vehicle to another. Even today, if you climb into an Audi or a Honda, you’ll be treated to distinct new-car smells.
A new study tells us that the beloved new-car-smell phenomenon is actually… bad for your health. That Australian study concludes that the compounds behind the smell of a new vehicle are linked to leukemia and rare nasal cancers.
To get scientific, the smell isn’t really one, rather, it’s the effect of interior components undergoing a phenomenon known as “off-gassing”. Anything that contains organic compounds, from the seats to the dashboard, gives off volatile organic compounds. They are the source of the odour.
The study was conducted in Melbourne, Australia, at RMIT University. It was supervised by Professor Oliver Jones.
The study involved placing a new car in varying environmental conditions for 12 days. The “off-gassed” chemicals reached dangerous levels (as per Chinese safety standards) in the cabin by the end of the test period. Formaldehyde, for example, reached a level 34.9 percent above the acceptable level. Acetaldehyde, a carcinogen that can cause respiratory problems, reached 223.5 micrograms per cubic meter, 61-percent higher than levels considered safe.
The study results show that 30 minutes of exposure to these chemicals at that level is enough to put a person at risk.
Explained Prof. Jones, “Many of these compounds are considered carcinogenic, but so are sunlight and alcohol. It's the dose that makes the poison. Just because a substance is present doesn't mean it's automatically a problem; it's a matter of quantity (even water is toxic if you drink enough of it).”
The amounts of chemicals found in the study were, as mentioned, found at high levels. More studies are likely needed to determine the extent of the problem and the level of risk to real-world vehicle owners. But it’s clear this merits attention.
It also gives manufacturers another compelling reason to use more suitable materials in their vehicles.