Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Environment

Hot Car Air Passes Toxicity Tests

March 12, 2007 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 85, Issue 11

Synthetic materials in car interiors emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which contribute to the familiar "new car smell." But even an uncomfortably hot car parked in the sun doesn't develop hazardous interior air quality, according to Jeroen T. M. Buters of the Technical University of Munich, in Germany, and colleagues (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2007, 41, 2569). The researchers tested two cars with identical interiors and exteriors, one brand-new and the other three years old. They simulated parking in the sun by using halogen lamps and maintained a temperature of 65 ??C inside the cars throughout their experiments. Interior air samples analyzed by GC-MS found that the new and used cars emitted 10.9 and 1.2 mg/m3 of VOCs, respectively, and that the array of compounds observed differed between the cars. The researchers tested extracts from air samples on human primary keratinocytes and human and Chinese hamster lung cells, as well as for two types of immune response. No direct toxicity was observed in the assays, but they expect allergic individuals would experience a slightly increased immunoglobulin (IgE) response under the test conditions.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.