Ah, man.
New car smell, right?
Imagine it.
Breathe it in.
That's the high life, yeah?
*title music*
Most people find the unique aroma of a new
car oddly enticing, the olfactory equivalent
of snuggling into a warm laundry.
People like it so much that they even replicate
it in air fresheners and those sprays you
find in gas stations.
But what exactly is this stuff?
That is tough to determine.
Not everyone reports the same sort of smell
when they talk about the scent of a new car.
While scientists still aren’t sure exactly
what makes new car smell so fascinating or
pleasant to humans, we do know a few things
about it: first, it’s not any one, single
substance.
Cars are made of a wealth of materials, such
as polyurethane or polyester.
These chemicals are designed to endure daily
wear and tear while also resisting changes
in temperature and climate.
So far, so good, right?
Not so fast.
While the materials themselves may not be
particularly terrible, by which I mean you
can touch them without contracting some sort
of odd disease or bursting into flames, the
stuff they produce can be downright dangerous.
The smell of a brand-new car is the result
of numerous chemical compounds from all these
paints, plastics, lubricants, plasticizers
and sealants releasing into the air.
This process is called “outgassing.”
I know.
Sexy, right?
These compounds are collectively known as
volatile organic compounds or “VOCs.”
They have high vapor pressure and low boiling
points.
This means large numbers of molecules evaporate
into the air.
Some of these VOCs don’t produce any sort
of odor whatsoever, but others are responsible
for that intriguing olfactory mixtape known
as new car smell.
And as appealing as they might smell, these
VOCs may also be hazardous.
Studies show that some of these volatile chemicals,
such as the ethyl benzene and formaldehyde
found in paints and glues, can cause problems
like dizziness, headache, allergies or even
cancer when inhaled in large enough quantities
or for long enough periods of time.
So you can sniff that new Honda but for Pete’s
sake, don’t huff it.
This has caused some scientists to compare
inhaling new car smell to sniffing glue.
At this point, scientists still haven’t
closed the case on new car smell.
We know some of these compounds are certainly
harmful, but experts don’t agree on exactly
how harmful a given compound might be.
We do know that a great deal of these VOCs
luckily go away over time – although they
can come back on hot days when higher temperatures
increase the rate of outgassing.
One last point – not all new car interiors
are created equally, VOC-wise.
Some are much less toxic than others.
You can find reports on the relative health
of your car’s interior by checking with
nonprofit groups such as the Ecology Center,
which publishes a Model Year Guide to New
Vehicles annually.
In the meantime, I have to ask: what does
a 'new car smell' smell like to you?
Let me know in the comments, and subscribe
and stay tuned for more BrainStuff.
