According to the expert , car inside are really toxic all twelvemonth round . However , there are two times when the chemical are at their highest floor : when the motorcar is stain new , and in the summertime . It makes mother wit that freshly fabricate materials would still carry some rest from their yield , and that compounds would get released as the car ’s component start to get used ( seats being sat in , dashboard controlsbeing partake , carpeting being rubbed ) . These chemicals are what cause the " raw gondola smell " that some people love and others ca n’t brook . Over time , the supererogatory levels of chemical substance start to wear off . They ’re still there , but they ’re being released in much crushed State Department . This operation is called " offgassing . " That is , until the summertime . When it gets spicy alfresco , some of these toxic fumes start to get agitate up and free again . That ’s because exposure to hotness swiftness up offgassing , and so does exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun ’s re .
There are so many chemicals in an average car , have such a sort of problems , that there ’s no point in listing them all . Some experts say there are around 275 possible contaminant , with about 50 being the most prevalent [ source : Weathers ] . They can be broadly categorized , though . Vinyl , the cheap plastic - like upholstery material , is one of the very bad . Other wrongdoer areformaldehyde , a preservative ; fire retardent , which help protect the cars ' occupants from the warmth of the engine bay tree and exhaust fumes ; fleshy metals and various plastics , which make up components such as the dashboard , door handles and armrests . The balmy symptom of inhaling these chemicals are nausea and headaches , which many people might not even believe is link to their new elevator car . Over time , though , the prolonged exposure can cause job with the central nervous system , endocrine , memory departure and Cancer the Crab , among other panic factors .
motorcar manufacturers are conscious of this take and are admit steps to reduce the chemical substance used in vehicle Interior , but there is no federal examination or a banner for satisfactory chemical substance levels in the United States . So until offgassing is reduced a peck more , it ’s up to consumers to be vigilant . The good way to cope with offgassing is to keep the car well vent , both when it ’s new and in the summertime . aright after buy the machine , keep the windows down as much as possible to let the chemical substance buildup break away and let fresh line distribute inside . In the summer , keep the windows opened just a lilliputian , if possible , and use ultraviolet - resistant sun buckler in the window to keep sunlight off the plastics and upholstery material . Another important peak is to leave the windows down for a few minutes before bulge the melodic phrase conditioner . It might be uncomfortable , but it ’ll take into account some of that gas to escape before getting sucked into the air conditioning system , where it ’ll just get recirculated . Of course , the best tactic is to concentrate the amount of time you expend in the car .