The air inside all personal vehicles is polluted with harmful flame retardants—including those known or suspected to cause cancer—according to a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology . Car manufacturers add these chemicals to seat foam and other materials to meet an outdated federal flammability standard with no proven fire-safety benefit. "Our research found that interior materials release harmful chemicals into the cabin air of our cars," said lead author Rebecca Hoehn, a scientist at Duke University.
"Considering the average driver spends about an hour in the car every day, this is a significant public health issue. It's particularly concerning for drivers with longer commutes as well as child passengers, who breathe more air pound for pound than adults." The researchers detected flame retardants inside the cabins of 101 cars (model year 2015 or newer) from across the U.
S. In total, 99% of cars contained tris (1-chloro-isopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), a flame retardant under investigation by the U.S.
National Toxicology Program as a potential carcinogen. Most cars had additional organophosphate ester flame retardants present, including tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), two California Proposition 65 carcinogens. These and other flame retardants are also linked to neurological and reproductive harms.
About half of the cars were tested in both summer and winter. Warmer weather was linked to higher f.
