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If You Notice a Little ‘Off-Gassing,’ Blame the Car
Aug 18 2008 by Sherrice Gilsbach
8/18/08
Center Tests Cars, Child-Safety Seats for Toxic Chemicals
There is no nice way to say this, so I’m just going to throw it out there: Odds are, your car and your child-safety seats are releasing toxic chemicals into the air you breathe through a process called “off-gassing.” I know, as if you needed something else to worry about.
The Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., recently released its second annual “Consumer Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Cars and Children’s Car Seats.” More than 200 vehicles from the 2008 and 2009 model years were tested, and more than 60 child-safety seats also underwent the examination. The center screened the cars and child-safety seats for bromine, chlorine and lead, as well as other toxic chemicals that lead to health and environmental problems.
“Up to one-third of our exposure to toxic substances comes from our cars,” said Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center. “What’s more, these chemicals are altered by heat. As they are exposed to heat and UV rays, they break down and become more hazardous substances.”
But don’t panic and throw out your child-safety seats. “We don’t want anyone to stop using a car seat simply based on the results of our testing,” Gearhart said. “The hazards of not using a car seat far outweigh those of exposure to the chemicals we tested for.”
Here are Gearhart’s tips for keeping your family safe from toxic chemicals:
1. Use a solar barrier in your windshield to reduce heat and exposure to UV rays inside the car. Gearhart also recommends rolling down the car’s windows and opening the doors to let the vehicle air out before loading the kiddies in.
2. Make sure to wash your hands and your children’s hands after riding in the car. “We are all familiar with the hand-to-mouth behavior of young children,” he said. “By washing their hands regularly and washing the surfaces they touch, we can reduce some of the exposure.”
By now, you’re probably curious about how your car and child-safety seats faired. These vehicles and child-safety seats had little to no risk presented from toxic chemicals:
Little to No Risk
• 2008 Acura RDX
• 2008 Smart ForTwo
• 2008 Chevy HHR
• 2008 BMW M5
• Graco Passage 540 Travel System, Mary Ann
• Sunshine Kids Radian 65, champagne
• Sunshine Kids Monterey Expandable Booster, red
High Toxic Chemical Content
• 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder
• 2008 Suzuki Reno
• 2008 BMW 128i
• Alpha Sport Vantage Booster, blue steel
• Britax Marathon, onyx
• Britax Regent, onyx
• Maxi Cosi Mico, juice
• Orbit Infant Carrier, mocha
For a complete list of results or to see how your car and child-safety seats scored, visit www.ecocenter.org or www.HealthyCar.org.
User Comments
Good point, Sally. And while I have a hard enough time getting my kids to wash their hands before they eat, at least I can make sure their carseats aren’t loaded with toxins. I guess every little bit helps, right?
But wouldn’t this be one of those cases where the benefits outweigh the risks, especially when it comes to car seats? Studies like these need to be a little clearer on what the actual risks are instead of scaring us with random numbers and no true info on the relative risks of a safe car seat versus the chemicals the car seat releases.