bobbert
Well-known member
<div>Something to consider when planning living in a vehicle: </div><div><a href="http://www.healthystuff.org/findings.021512.cars.php" target="_blank">This is from Healthystuff.org</a></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; ">Chemical Hazards in Vehicles</h3><ul style="text-align: left; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><li style="text-align: left; "><strong>Exposure to many toxic chemicals is highest indoors:</strong> Average Americans spend up to 90% of their daily lives indoors. The EPA has estimated indoor air pollution levels can be two to five times higher than outdoor air pollution levels. EPA has ranked indoor air pollution one of the top five environmental risks to public health. Next to homes and offices, we spend the most time in automobiles: 1.5 hours per day on average.</li><li style="text-align: left; "><strong>The "New Car Smell" is toxic:</strong> The "new car smell" is actually the smell of toxic chemicals off-gassing from interior auto parts such as the seating, dashboards and vehicle trim. Since 1960 the quantity of plastics used in vehicles has grown ten-fold, rising from 22 pounds in 1960 to over 250 pounds today. Many synthetic materials and plastics are produced with chemical additives that are used to change the engineering performance of the plastics, thus these plastics may contain plasticizers, stabilizers, flame retardants, aintimicorbials and antioxidants. Due to these additives, many pollutants, including benzene, toluene and xylene, were found in levels exceeding indoor and outdoor air quality standards.</li><li style="text-align: left; ">The concentrations of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in vehicles contribute nearly 30% to total daily exposure.</li><li style="text-align: left; "><strong>Auto interiors are chemical reactors:</strong> Immediately after delivery, new vehicles have been found to be universally contaminated with very high concentrations of a large number of chemicals that diffuse from interior vehicle materials. Over 275 different chemicals have been identified in vehicles interiors, including chemicals associate with birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer. Automobiles are unique and harsh environments for plastics. Air temperature extremes of 192 F (89 C) and dash temperatures up to 248 F (120 C) have been observed in vehicles. These extreme temperatures can increase the concentration of VOCs and high levels of sunlight producing breakdown products which can also be harmful to human health.</li><li style="text-align: left; "><strong>Some cars are better the others, healthier cars are possible:</strong> HealthyStuff.org has screened 900 vehicles since 2006. Our unique tests show a clear difference between the best vehicles and bets companies and others. The best vehicles today have eliminated important chemical hazards, including hazardous flame retardants and PVC. Today, 17% of new vehicles have PVC-free interiors and 60% are produced without BFRs in the interiors.</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; ">Vehicle ratings</h3><ul style="text-align: left; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><li style="text-align: left; ">HealthyStuff.org is releasing one-of-kind test data on 204 new 2011-2012 model new vehicles. This data is part of a multi-year HealthyStuff.org vehicle database containing test results for 900 vehicles.</li><li style="text-align: left; ">The overall best and worst vehicles are listed below. <strong>The 2012 Honda Civic (score 0.46) was the overall best-rated vehicle and 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (score 3.17) was the overall worst-rated vehicle this year</strong>.</li><li style="text-align: left; ">The Civic achieved its ranking by being free of bromine-base flame retardants is all interior components, utilizing PVC-free interior fabrics and interior trim, and low levels of heavy metals and other metal allergens.</li><li style="text-align: left; ">The Mitsubishi Outlander contained bromine and antimony-bases flame retardants in seating, the center console and seat base, chromium treated leather on several components and over 400 ppm lead in seating materials.</li></ul></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><img src="http://www.healthystuff.org/images/06_07cover.jpg">
