Is That ‘New Car Smell’ Harmful?

A team of scientists from the Beijing Institute of Technology have tested the levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) , which make up that “lovely” new car smell, when they evaporate from the interiors of a new car.

The study found that the levels of formaldehyde, a Class 1 carcinogen, which evaporated had exceeded the safety baseline limit by almost 35% and the levels of acetaldehyde, a Class 2 carcinogen, were found to be more than 60 times higher than baseline safety limits.

It has also been confirmed by CSIRO researchers that toxic emissions in new cars can be present for at least six months after leaving the showroom. The risk of these toxic emissions increases when a new car is parked in the sun for an extended period.

Oliver Jones, a professor from RMIT University, however, cautions that though new-car smell is not without risks, just because some carcinogenic compounds are present does not automatically mean people’s health is at risk.

Car manufacturer, Ford, has created a team of 18 scientists, dubbed the ‘’Golden Noses’’ to help find ways to identify and eliminate odors in their new cars, as a study found that 10 percent of buyers in China had complained about the new car smell. Ford has also filed a patent for a new method developed to bake off and air out the volatile organic compounds from their new cars. However, this method has not been implemented into the production of their vehicles to date.

Author’s footnote:

However, I suspect many people, like me, enjoy the ‘’new-car smell’’ and prefer to keep it, assuming any harmful components are eliminated.