How to Buy a Healthy Car

Did you know your new car can be hazardous to your health? It’s true. And I’m not talking about accidents or drunk drivers.

Levels of some chemicals found in vehicles are 5-10 times higher than in homes or offices. Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in their car every day, this can be a major source of toxic chemical exposure.

In fact, your new car is full of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause cancer, lead to organ damage, lower immune systems, decrease fertility and cause learning and behavior problems in children, among other major health concerns. Fortunately, America’s major car companies are beginning to take action to decrease VOC exposure.

So, do you want to know if your new car is a potential killer?

Each year, the Ecology Center tests hundreds of cars and car seats for VOCs. This, year the Ecology Center has published all of its findings at its new www.HealthyStuff.org website.

At www.HealthyStuff.org, consumers cannot only discover the toxicity level of their new car, but the Ecology Center has also posted the results of a wide range of consumer goods from pet products to back-to-school supplies to women’s handbags.

“More and more consumers are concerned about the issue of toxic chemicals in commonly used products – especially products related to children,” says Ecology Center research director Jeff Gearhart. “While the best car and child car seat manufacturers are starting to pay attention, far too many companies have not yet phased out these dangerous chemicals.”

Gearhart says the chemicals of primary concern to new car buyers are bromine (associated with brominated flame retardants), chlorine (indicating the presence of polyvinyl chloride or PVC and phthalates), lead and heavy metals.

Using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology, Ecology Center scientists can detect toxic chemicals in cars and car seats. The center tested nearly 700 new and used vehicles from the 1980s to 2010 model year vehicles.

Plus, says Gearhart, automobiles can be huge “chemical reactors” because of high temperatures and excessive solar exposure. Fortunately, Gearhart says American car manufacturers such as GM and Ford are now making “significant progress” towards reducing VOCs in their vehicles.

GM Gets Top Marks for Least Toxic Vehicles

In Ecology Center tests, GM’s Chevy Cobalt was ranked the “best overall vehicle” in having the least amount of noxious chemicals. “The best selling Chevrolet Cobalt shows that GM has the innovation and know-how to make healthy vehicles,” says Gearhart.

GM execs aren’t surprised about these top ratings for “cleanest” car. Patricia Beattie, GM’s director of chemical risk management, says GM has been “designing out” harmful chemicals for a “long time.” Not only did GM earn top small car (Pontiac G5 and Chevy Cobalt) on the Ecology Center’s list, but was also tops in large sedan (Buick Lucerne), best convertible (Saturn Sky) and best pickup truck (Chevrolet Silverado).

Having some of the least toxic cars on the market today isn’t something that “just happened by chance,” says Beattie. Mostly, she says, GM has been focusing on deleting heavy metals such as lead, Mercury, chromium, and cadmium from their vehicles.

Unfortunately, all car makers must abide by flame retardant regulations, which all include brominated materials. And, any car maker that uses vinyl in its interior components such as shift knobs and consoles is “by definition using chlorine,” says Beattie.

Here are some more Ecology Center findings from 2009 model year vehicles:

GM’s Pontiac G5 and Chevy Cobalt were rated best overall 2009 vehicles. The top rated manufacturers with the least amount of VOCs for 2009 were Honda, Smart and Volvo. The lowest rated manufacturers with the highest amount of VOCs were Mitsubishi, Audi and Volkswagen.

2009 vehicle average scores were one-third better than vehicles manufactured before 2004. Most of this improvement is related to a reduction in the use of heavy metals like lead in vehicles.

What You Can Do

Can consumers do anything to reduce VOCs in cars and other consumer products? YES!

Organizations like the Ecology Center are gearing up to reform the 33-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which is the current federal law for regulating chemicals in consumer products. Very soon, says Gearhart, Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Bobby Rush are expected to introduce a new bill to reform TSCA.

These much-needed reforms would phase out the most dangerous chemicals from the manufacturing process by requiring the industry to take responsibility for the safety of their products. To date, Gearhart claims the Environmental Protection Agency has only required testing on about 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals that have been on the market since the law first passed in 1976.

“A Made in the USA label should be a guarantee, not a warning,” says Charlotte Brody, national field director for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a coalition working toward toxic chemical policy reform. “We have an opportunity to reform TSCA this year and start putting common sense limits on harmful chemicals.”

Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif. Follow me! @sheryllalexande