Terrible Dangers Found in Automobiles

If you are all of a sudden finding yourself sick and you do not know the reason, you may very well want to check the toxicity levels in your vehicle. There have been many studies recently done that show that the toxic levels of vehicles are much higher than they should be for the safety of many people riding in cars today.

Below we will show some of the types of toxic chemicals that are in vehicles today, the health problems that they cause, and what you can do to prevent yourself from becoming overwhelmed by these toxic dangers inside of your own transportation.

- Phthalates

Phthalates are a group of chemicals that are basically used as plasticizers, or substances that are added to plastic material to increase their longevity, flexibility, durability and transparency. The term phthalates includes a long, long list of different types of products that are used in this manner, one of those being inside the materials in the interiors of many vehicles.

Many studies around the world have found that over 60% of all vehicles contain these highly toxic materials in the armrests, dashboards, seat covers and floors. As many of these materials are plastic, phthalates are quite often added to the mix before they are put into cars to get the feel of hard plastic that we find so ubiquitous in vehicles today.

However, we should perhaps take a second look at these materials. Exposure to phthalates can lead to many long-term health problems, including liver damage, premature birth, and many other gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases that cannot be cured.

- Asbetos

Mostly in older vehicles, asbestos was used throughout many manufacturers for different parts of the automobile. These parts include brake pads, gaskets, hood liners, clutch linings, drums, etc. Asbestos would help reduce heat from these parts and let off tiny particles into the air. Asbestos exposure can lead to an aggressive disease called mesothelioma. Hobbyists and mechanics must be careful and take safety precautions.

- PBDEs

Perhaps the only other kind of material that is more hazardous to human health that is commonly used inside of vehicles are the group of substances known as PBDEs. These substances can give those who are exposed to it and even greater risk of even greater long-term diseases such as mesothelioma, asthma and many other diseases that have no cure.

Nonetheless, there has been absolutely no move by anyone in the automotive industry or in government to respond to these tests that were made around the world by many reputable independent third-party sources. As a matter of fact, auto lobbyists have been able to successfully keep the eye of the government off of the use of these toxic chemicals inside of vehicles because of the volatile economy, which has been focused on the automobile industry in recent years.

However, as the economy begins to heal, perhaps it is time for people to focus more on the health aspects of driving in vehicles these days, even as we dictate that the gas mileage on vehicles be much, much higher than in the past.