New car smell is the common term for the odor that comes from the combination of materials found in new automobiles. Some people may regarded it as a pleasant and desirable smell, possibly because of its positive association with the feeling of owning a new vehicle. However, the odor consists of hazardous volatile chemicals and should generally be regarded as a hazard and not, in fact, a pleasant odor. Aroma redirects here. ... Car redirects here. ...

Chemical composition

Both the scent and what produces it vary somewhat in different kinds of cars. Most of the interior of an automobile consists of plastic held together with a number of adhesives and sealers. When the car is first manufactured, these materials are left slightly unstable, and continue to release volatile organic compounds into the air afterward (cf. outgassing). These fumes may also come from phthalates and other plastic-softening chemicals (plasticizers) that evaporate (or outgas) over time. An adhesive is a compound that adheres or bonds two items together. ... Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapour pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. ... Outgassing (sometimes called Offgassing, particularly when in reference to indoor air quality) is the slow release of a gas that was trapped, frozen, absorbed or adsorbed in some material. ... General chemical structure of phthalates. ... Plasticizers are additives that soften the materials (usually a plastic or a concrete mix) they are added to. ...

Scientists who have studied the chemicals released recommend keeping new cars well ventilated while driving, especially during the summer. A 1995 analysis^[1] of the air from a new Lincoln Continental found over 50 volatile organic compounds, which were identified as coming from sources such as cleaning and lubricating compounds, paint, carpeting, leather and vinyl treatments, latex glue, and gasoline and exhaust fumes. An analysis two months after the initial one found a significant reduction in the chemicals. The researchers observed that the potential toxicity of many of these compounds could pose a danger to human health. The Lincoln Continental, an automobile produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company, began for the 1939 model year. ... Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapour pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. ... A lubricant (colloquially, lube) is a substance (often a liquid) introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the friction and wear between them. ... For other uses, see Paint (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Leather (disambiguation). ... Chemical structure of the vinyl functional group. ... This article is about the typesetting system. ... Look up glue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Petrol redirects here. ... Exhaust gas is gas which occurs as a result of combustion of fuel such as gasoline/petrol or diesel. ...

In a paper published in 2000,^[2] total volatile organic compound levels as high as 7,500 micrograms per cubic meter were measured in one new vehicle on the first day of sampling. Concentrations decayed approximately 90% over a three week period. Over sixty chemicals were identified inside the interiors of the four vehicles in this study.

In some instances the odor can actually result from a manufacturing defect. According to official documents of Bentley Motors (BT26), there is an "obnoxious odor" in Bentley cars for model year 1999-2002. The smell emanates from a rust inhibitor that was used by Bentley during that time.^{[citation needed]}

Health risks

A two-year study^[3] released in 2001 by the CSIRO in Australia found several health problems associated with these chemicals. CSIRO research scientist, Dr Stephen Brown, reported anecdotal accounts of disorientation, headache, and irritation in some drivers of new cars. He measured pollutant levels in new cars that were sufficient to cause similar effects within minutes in controlled experiments by other researchers. Chemicals found in the cars included the carcinogen benzene, two other possible carcinogens cyclohexanone and styrene, and several other toxic chemicals. This article is about the year. ... The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is the national government body for scientific research in Australia. ... Look up carcinogen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Benzene, or Benzol (see also Benzine), is an organic chemical compound and a known carcinogen with the molecular formula C6H6. ... Cyclohexanone is six-carbon cyclic molecule with a ketone functional group. ... C8H8 redirects here. ...

A more recent study in Japan found that the volatile organic chemicals in a new minivan were over 35 times the health limit the day after its delivery. In four months they had fallen under the limit but increased again in the hot summer months, taking three years to permanently remain below the limit. The limits were set by the Japanese health ministry in response to more car owners suffering from sick building syndrome. A Daily Telegraph article^[4] on the study described the enjoyment of new car smell as "akin to glue-sniffing". Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a combination of ailments (a syndrome) associated with an individuals place of work; typically, but not always, an office building (though there have also been instances of SBS in residential buildings). ... This article concerns the British newspaper. ... Volatile substance abuse or solvent abuse (called huffing) is the practice of inhaling volatile substances for their psychoactive effects. ...

Reproduction

"New-car sprays" are available that purportedly reproduce the smell of a new car in older vehicles using an aerosol spray. However, many consumers find that such sprays do not smell authentic, perhaps because of the complexity of the scent being reproduced.^{[citation needed]} Aerosol spray can Aerosol spray is a type of canister that sprays an aerosol when its button is pressed or held down. ...

The probable origin of this fragrance concept was before the use of plastics and related chemicals, being simply a leather scent (based around castoreum and birch tar oil) to mimic the smell of expensive leather upholstery. For other uses, see Leather (disambiguation). ... Castoreum is the glandular secretion of the beaver. ... Species Many species; see text and classification Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. ... Tar can be produced from corn stalks by heating in a microwave. ... Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. ...

With the advent of cheaper vinyl upholstery, there was an interest in perfuming this with leather notes to regain the "luxury" experience. Nowadays few people see leather notes as characteristic of a new car, so the "new car fragrance" concept has become confused.

References

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

External links

• Beware: That New Car Smell is Toxic!
• That New-Car Smell? Not Toxic, Study Finds
• Consumer Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Cars