2008 Woodie Awards
Toxic Dashboard
Meghan Callahan
Issue date: 1/21/08 Section: Health
For many people who are living busy lives, a car tends to feel like a second home. However, according to recent research, these people might want to rethink just exactly how much time they are spending in their cars.
The Ecology Center is a nonprofit environmental group that published "Toxic at Any Speed: Chemicals in Cars and the Need for Safe Alternatives" in 2006. This report examined two categories of chemicals existing within car materials, phthalates and flame retardants, such as deca. Phthalates make plastics softer and more elastic. When phthalates were tested on rodents, it was found that the chemical led to liver and kidney damage. The flame retardants caused brain damage and thyroid problems for the rats.
The research on the extent in which phthalates and flame retardants affect humans is limited. Nonetheless, the research that does exist states that these two chemicals are harmful. For instance, a Swedish study from 2004 showed that children who were raised in houses with high levels of phthalates in the dust were more likely to develop asthma. In 2005, Environmental Health Perspectives reported that mothers with higher levels of phthalates in their urine had sons with less-developed genitalia.
In 2006, researchers at the Ecology Center tested to see if phthalates and flame retardants would show up inside of cars. The film inside of the windshield of 13 different cars was tested. The posted results inside of "Toxic at Any Speed" revealed high levels of phthalates and flame retardants.
The same year, Japanese scientists at the Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health performed a more extensive analysis. The air inside of 101 newer cars was tested. It was found that each vehicle contained 241 different airborne toxins, including a class of carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) known as aromatic hydrocarbons.
This research has been brought to the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA sets the limits on the amount of pollution cars can release into the air. Dave Ryan, an EPA spokesperson, has stated that the EPA does not have a position on the air present within cars. However, the EPA's website shows that they are aware of the danger.
Even though the EPA is not currently regulating toxins inside of cars, there are preventive measures that one can take. The chemicals are released into the indoor air as the interior heats up. To lessen the amount of chemicals being released, one can buy a windshield sun blind. Also, roll down the windows and wait for the hot air present within the car to move out the window before you get behind the wheel.
The next time that you slide into your car to take a cruise down the road, do what it takes to stay safe and healthy. Don't let your dashboard pollute the air that you breathe.
The Ecology Center is a nonprofit environmental group that published "Toxic at Any Speed: Chemicals in Cars and the Need for Safe Alternatives" in 2006. This report examined two categories of chemicals existing within car materials, phthalates and flame retardants, such as deca. Phthalates make plastics softer and more elastic. When phthalates were tested on rodents, it was found that the chemical led to liver and kidney damage. The flame retardants caused brain damage and thyroid problems for the rats.
The research on the extent in which phthalates and flame retardants affect humans is limited. Nonetheless, the research that does exist states that these two chemicals are harmful. For instance, a Swedish study from 2004 showed that children who were raised in houses with high levels of phthalates in the dust were more likely to develop asthma. In 2005, Environmental Health Perspectives reported that mothers with higher levels of phthalates in their urine had sons with less-developed genitalia.
In 2006, researchers at the Ecology Center tested to see if phthalates and flame retardants would show up inside of cars. The film inside of the windshield of 13 different cars was tested. The posted results inside of "Toxic at Any Speed" revealed high levels of phthalates and flame retardants.
The same year, Japanese scientists at the Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health performed a more extensive analysis. The air inside of 101 newer cars was tested. It was found that each vehicle contained 241 different airborne toxins, including a class of carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) known as aromatic hydrocarbons.
This research has been brought to the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA sets the limits on the amount of pollution cars can release into the air. Dave Ryan, an EPA spokesperson, has stated that the EPA does not have a position on the air present within cars. However, the EPA's website shows that they are aware of the danger.
Even though the EPA is not currently regulating toxins inside of cars, there are preventive measures that one can take. The chemicals are released into the indoor air as the interior heats up. To lessen the amount of chemicals being released, one can buy a windshield sun blind. Also, roll down the windows and wait for the hot air present within the car to move out the window before you get behind the wheel.
The next time that you slide into your car to take a cruise down the road, do what it takes to stay safe and healthy. Don't let your dashboard pollute the air that you breathe.
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