Are Toxins Lurking in Your Car Interior?
Published Sep 28th 2007, 8:26pm by Jody DeVere in Featured Articles
I’m
a born skeptic. What do you expect? I’m originally from the Show-Me
state. We don’t believe what we’re told. We must be shown. So when I
heard about interior car toxins and a product that claims to reduce
them, I had to do my own research.
Last
year, the Ecology Center released a study about car interior toxins.
Besides carbon monoxide emissions, I wasn’t sure what they meant by
that. But after reading a bit of their press release I found out. Their report says that PBDEs,
chemicals used for fire retardants, and phthalates, used to soften
plastics and part of that “new car smell” people seem to love, are
found inside your car. And guess what? The chemicals are clinging to
the dust in your interior and clamoring for space on your windshield —
in the form of that film you can’t quite get rid of unless you’re
parked “just so” in the sunlight and are willing to climb around the
inside of your car like a monkey to get every nook and cranny sparkling
clean.
These chemicals, according to the Ecology Center, have been linked to
birth defects, liver toxicity, impaired hearing, and premature births
in lab animals. They are more dangerous in a hot car, because the heat
draws them out faster. And I always thought that film on my windshield
was from my car shade and just an annoyance in bright sunlight — not a
health hazard to my family!
But here’s where my skepticism kicks in: I’ve never heard of the
Ecology Center. And every search I did on car interior toxins came up
with the same report from the Ecology Center. Even if it was picked up
by CNN’s site, I’m still
not certain of its veracity. I would need to see some additional
collaborating evidence to convince me that this is a big deal and that
their study is reputable and accurate.
Having said that, there is a product on the market that claims to help
reduce these toxins by cleaning your windshield so well that the
chemicals can’t stick to your glass, thereby reducing the amount of
toxins in your car interior. If the toxins can’t cling, they will leave
when you air out your car, correct? That’s the theory.
Glare-X-Plus claims to be
the only safe product on the market that helps permanently remove film
buildup on your windshield. It’s also biodegradable and organic. So, does it work? I haven’t
tried it. First, I don’t drive a brand new car. Second, like I said,
I’m a skeptic. I would need some more information from independent
sources.
If you’re a mom and you’re worried about your children's exposure to the chemicals used to
manufacture car interiors, you may want to check this product out,
especially since it claims to help get rid of nighttime windshield
glare. Do your research and decide for yourself if this product is
right for you. That’s all any savvy shopper can really do.
Windshield photo courtesy of spcummings.
By Becky Scott
Contributing Editor
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