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New cars smell like glue
Q:
What is the new-car smell? —Lanney, Sandia Park, New Mexico
[“Day with the Motor-car on the Sea Ice” in “The heart of
Antarctic”, Volume I, by E.H. Shackleton] This 1909 explorer lacks the new-car
smell
A: We’re essentially sniffing glue. The new car smell emanates from 40
volatile organic compounds—"primarily alkanes and substituted benzenes along
with a few aldehydes and ketones," says Steve Ritter in Chemical &
Engineering News.
Slide into a new car. You see plastics, fabric, and upholstery—held together
with adhesives and impregnated with sealants that outgas into the car. You smell
solvents, adhesives, gasoline, lubricants, and vinyl.
Perhaps you also smell the "treated leather" odor of shoe stores. Tanned
leather smells slightly rank so tanneries add an artificial "treated leather"
fragrance. Some automakers spray this in their cars.
These days, you may not smell much. In December 2001, Australia’s
Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) reported on a
two-year study of the volatile organic compounds released by new cars. They
found threats to health— especially in the first six months after car purchase—
especially on a warm day— with the windows closed (and air conditioning off). As
a result, automakers now try to eliminate such substances.
But, not to worry, most car trips in the U.S. are less than five miles—short
for much threat, especially if you open the window.
Further Surfing:
Chemical &
Engineering News: New car smell
Sisweb:
Volatile compounds found in a 1995 new Lincoln Continental
BBC News:
New car smell linked to cancer
(Answered June 13, 2003)
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