You should know about air pollution inside cars

When buying a car, consumers often focus on the vehicle’s appearance, power, space, and fuel consumption, often overlooking environmental and health issues. Experts point out that the harm caused by in-car air pollution to the health of drivers and passengers deserves even greater attention.
Due to the cramped interior space, air pollution and bacterial growth inside the car pose more direct and serious risks to the human body. Especially for the elderly, women, and children with low immunity, the risk of developing the disease is even higher. For drivers, air pollution inside vehicles has become one of the main causes of feeling depressed, irritable, and unable to concentrate, even leading to accidents.

Common sources of pollution inside the car are as follows:

(1) Vehicle itself: Air pollution inside the vehicle caused by harmful substances contained in interior components and adhesives not being sufficiently released;

(2) Automotive interior: Some seat cushions and adhesives containing harmful substances enter the car, easily volatilizing formaldehyde and benzene, producing irritating odors and causing varying degrees of air pollution inside the car;

(3) The carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and gasoline odors produced by the car engine, along with the smell of gasoline, degrade the air quality inside the car;

(4) Air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides entering the car due to air conditioning, as well as odors and bacteria produced by the car air conditioner evaporator if not cleaned or maintained for a long time;

(5) High-temperature pollution: According to monitoring, if a car is exposed to sunlight for more than 1.5 hours, the amount of toxic pollutants inside the car multiplies exponentially, and the concentration of harmful gases increases by 5~20 times;

(6) Various odors and bacteria generated during vehicle use, such as odors from smoking in the car or bacteria breeding from food residues.

Interior leather-related materials

1. Plastic parts: PVC (PVC), chlorinated PVC (PVC), glass fiber reinforced PVC (PVC), thermosetting low-foam PVC (PVC), low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

2. Foam Cotton: Polyols (ether) + TDI + Foaming agent

3. Glue A. Oil-based glue: epoxy resin, PVC, polyacrylic cheese   

               b. Water-based glue: water-based acrylic and neoprene glue

Experiments show that the odors of plastic parts, foam, and glue peak on the third day after new cars roll off the line, drop to half of the peak after two weeks (14 days), and reach equilibrium after three weeks (21 days), basically meeting environmental protection requirements.

So why do many cars still emit strong odors after 3 weeks?

A comparative test: Four sets of samples were made, measuring 40CM*40CM. The plastic parts were made of automotive PVC boards, the bonding between layers was made of the commonly used water-based acrylic glue, and the foam was automotive polyurethane expanded foam. Group 4 only differs in surface coating materials; everything else is exactly the same.

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
Plastic parts + foam + glue +Fabric	Plastic parts + foam + glue +Genuine leather	Plastic parts + foam + glue +PVC leather	Plastic parts + foam + glue +Silicone leather

The experiment showed that on the third day, odor emission from the four samples still reached its peak. Due to the low release of silicone leather, the results were the best among the four groups, reaching equilibrium after three weeks. The silicone and fabric groups showed particularly impressive data, while the genuine leather and PVC groups had higher scores.

Comparing the data in Figures 1 and 2, we find that after adding surface coating materials, the data after 3 weeks showed significant divergence. Silicone leather and fabrics with good breathability hardly affected the original (plastic parts + foam + glue) odor emission level after 3 weeks, but the PVC group, due to its non-breathability, caused the original (plastic parts + foam + glue) odor to be severely delayed, resulting in prolonged unpleasant odors. The breathable genuine leather group showed poor data. It is considered that the genuine leather itself releases a large amount of TVOC, combined with the original (plastic parts + foam + glue) release, causing unpleasant odors and long-term emission problems.

How can the air burden inside the car be reduced?

Method One : Made of low-release materials, the material itself has low release

Approach two : Uses highly breathable materials to quickly release harmful substances and odors generated at relevant locations, enhancing the customer’s normal user experience and safety.