By Elizabeth Barker
Love it or hate it, “that new car smell” is usually a cocktail of bad-for-you chemicals. If you’re looking to minimize your exposure, a new report from the
Ecology Center (a group that performs tests on toxic chemicals in consumer products) says a Honda Civic’s your best bet. Tests on more than 200 of the most popular 2011- and 2012 model vehicles also found that the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport was the worst offender when it came to toxins.
According to the Ecology Center, parts in car steering wheels, dashboards, armrests and seats off-gas “a unique cocktail of hundreds of toxic chemicals.” Those chemicals include a number of substances (such as bromine, chlorine, lead and heavy metals) linked to health problems that range from allergies to liver toxicity to birth defects to cancer. Because car interiors are such confined spaces—and because the average American spends more than 1.5 hours a day in the car—exposure to the chemicals creating that unique odor might have a major impact on health.
“Since these chemicals are not regulated, consumers have no way of knowing the dangers they face,” states lead research Jeff Gearhart. “Our testing is intended to expose those dangers and encourage manufacturers to use safer alternatives.”
After the Honda Civic, the top-ranking cars in the report are the Toyota Prius and the Honda CR-Z. In addition to the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, the worst-ranking include the Chrysler 200 SC and the Kia Soul.
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