HealthyCar.org — Chemicals of Concern Introduction

Plastics used in vehicle interiors and child car seats contain many chemicals that are added during the production processes to impart specific properties such as rigidity, durability or flame resistance. Many of these chemicals are not chemically bound to the parts and are consequently released into the environment during the life of the product. One of the common ways chemicals are released is referred to as “off-gassing,” and evidence of this is sometimes present as a window film or “fogging” that develops on the inside of the windshield. Heat can accelerate this process and UV exposure may also cause chemicals to break down into even more toxic compounds. The mix of chemicals released from materials used inside the car can be inhaled or ingested by drivers and passengers through dust and air, potentially causing allergic or other acute reactions. These chemicals have also been linked in animal studies to long-term health impacts such as birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer. The concern with the commercial use of these chemicals is that consumers are exposed to them from many sources in addition to auto interiors, and the combination of these many exposures may lead to harm.

The same chemicals that may cause human health problems due to exposure inside vehicles can also cause problems in the general environment. When vehicles are discarded at the end of their life, the majority of plastic and other nonmetallic parts are shredded and put into landfills or burned in incinerators. When discarded in landfills, harmful chemicals contained in vehicle plastics and other materials can leach out and contaminate soil and water. When incinerated, toxic chemicals are dispersed throughout the atmosphere.

While there are numerous chemical compounds in vehicles and car seats that may lead to health and environmental problems, HealthyCar.org focuses on chemicals containing the elements bromine, chlorine, and lead, as well as other heavy metals, allergens and carcinogens. All of these elements and their related chemical compounds were chosen because of their toxicity, persistence, and tendency to build up in people and the environment.

These chemicals were also chosen because they could be easily and quickly identified using non-destructive methods. This was essential since sampling for HealthyCar.org was limited to new vehicles and car seats. In addition, these chemicals, or their related molecular compounds, have been subject to either regulatory restrictions or voluntary limits set by industry associations or third party environmental certification organizations.

HealthyCar.org ratings do not provide any absolute measure of health risk or chemical exposure associated with any individual vehicle or car seat, or any individual element or related chemical. HealthyCar.org ratings only provide a relative measure of "level of concern" for the vehicles and car seats sampled. The ratings allow comparison of the presence and levels detected of chemicals of concern in any one vehicle or car seat to all others sampled.

For references, please download the full report.