Cars - New car smell

Home > Listing Index > Cars > New car smell

	Cars - New car smell

New car smell is the common term for the odor that comes from the combination of materials found in new automobiles. It is generally regarded as a pleasant and desirable smell, possibly because of its positive association with the feeling of owning a new vehicle, but comes from chemicals that can pose a risk to human health.

Where does new car smell come from?

Both the smell and what produces it vary somewhat in different kinds of automobiles. It is believed to come from volatile organic compounds that enter the air of the car, and possibly also from phthalates, plastic-softening chemicals that leach out over time.

A 1995 analysis of the air from a new Lincoln Continental of the same year found over 50 volatile organic compounds, which were identified as coming from sources such as cleaning and lubricating compounds, paint, carpeting, leather and vinyl treatments, latex glue, and gasoline and exhaust fumes. An analysis two months after the initial one found a significant reduction in the chemicals. The researchers observed that the potential toxicity of many of these compounds could pose a danger to human health.

In the article "VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN NEW AUTOMOBILES: SCREENING ASSESSMENT" published by a team headed by Dr. Richard Corsi of the University of Texas at Austin in 2000, total volatile organic compound levels as high as 7,500 micrograms per cubic meter were measured in one new vehicle on the first day of sampling. Concentrations decayed approximately 90% over a three week period. Over sixty chemicals were identified inside the interiors of the four vehicles in this study.

Health risks

A more recent study in Japan found that the volatile organic chemicals in a new minivan were over 35 times the health limit the day after its delivery. In four months they had fallen under the limit but increased again in the hot summer months, taking three years to permanently remain below the limit. The limits were set by the Japanese health ministry in response to more car owners suffering from sick building syndrome. A Daily Telegraph article on the study described the enjoyment of new car smell as "akin to glue-sniffing".

Reproducing new car smell

"New-car sprays" are available that purportedly reproduce the smell of a new car in older vehicles using an aerosol spray. However, many consumers find that such sprays do not smell authentic, perhaps because of the complexity of the scent being reproduced.

Resources

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for New car smell ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article New car smell; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Cars - New car smell

Where does new car smell come from?

Health risks

Reproducing new car smell

Resources

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay