The new car smell - pleasure or poison?

The trademark scent of a brand-new car interior is pleasing, but is it harmful to your health?

When you step into a new car, one of the first things you'd experience would be your olfactory senses registering that delightful new car smell. 

It's no "Versace Eros" or "Gucci Bloom", but it's just as delightful, and it's hard to exactly point out why. It has even come to a point where some people are trying to find ways to recreate the scent or delay it from wearing off in their cars.

However, there seems to be a lack of understanding of what the scent actually is, other than that it's just "how things smell like when they're new". That's not wrong, but if we want to be more specific, it's the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found within the new interiors of a car that give off this aroma, in a process called off-gassing.

What is off-gassing?

Off-gassing is when chemicals previously trapped in materials are released into the air. VOCs present in leather, carpeting, adhesives, vinyl sealants, plastic parts, and other components of a car's interior are off-gassed slowly in your car, with the heat in tropical countries such as Singapore accelerating the process.

What VOCs are released?

Now let's talk about the compounds being released. One of the most common is toluene, a liquid solvent often used in nail polish and also found in the paints and adhesives used for the car's interior. 

Two other common VOCs present in automobiles are benzene and formaldehyde, which are harmful carcinogens that could lead to cancer. Benzene also comes with the risk of damaging a person's reproductive organs and developmental health. Benzene is found in a variety of materials inside a car, while formaldehyde is usually found in leather and carpeting. 

Another vehicular VOC is styrene, a compound in the plastic parts of a car which can cause sleepiness, or irritation to your eyes, nose, and skin. 

There's no hiding from VOCs, but you could minimise your exposure to them.

Should I be worried?

As scary as VOCs sound, there is no need to worry for the most part. The main reason lies in the nickname of this phenomenon - "new car smell" denotes a short time period before these VOCs have mostly off-gassed (this is when the smell starts to fade). Studies about how harmful this is are generally inconclusive, but most would argue that as long as you take some measures in reducing exposure to these VOCs, the risks are minimal. 

What measures should I take?

Air purifiers are one way to combat these airborne VOCs. Another way is to roll down the windows whenever you can, thus keeping your cabin naturally well-ventilated while getting those nasty chemicals out of your car. If you wish to get rid of the VOCs fast, you could try "baking" your car under the hot sun (which is not difficult in sunny places) to hasten the off-gassing process, before airing the cabin thereafter.

Car manufacturers are paying attention to these VOCs. Toyota, for instance, has opted for water-based alternatives instead of solvent-based glues, while Ford has dabbled with soy-based foam instead of petroleum-based foam for their car interiors. 

The new car smell is definitely pleasing, especially to car lovers, but at a potential cost to your health.

Take a whiff of that new car smell, but don't make it an unhealthy habit.

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