Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Honda Civic interior rated least toxic, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport worst

Honda took it on the chin for its boring redesign of the Civic, but here's one thing it got right: Reducing the use of toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process for its interior. According to the Ecology Center's new report on HealthyStuff.org, the 2012 Civic uses the least off-gassing plastics, materials that can lead to volatile organic compound emissions. VOC's have been linked to health problems including cancer and birth defects, according to the report.

"Research shows that vehicle interiors contain a unique cocktail of hundreds of toxic chemicals that off-gas in small, confined spaces," said Jeff Gearhart, Research Director at the Ecology Center, in a statement. "Since these chemicals are not regulated, consumers have no way of knowing the dangers they face. Our testing is intended to expose those dangers and encourage manufacturers to use safer alternatives."

Honda does not use bromine-based flame retardants in the Civic and specs PVC-free interior fabrics and trim, while also eliminating most heavy metals from the interior.

The worst vehicle tested, the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, "contained bromine and antimony-based flame retardants in the seating and center console; chromium treated leather on several components; and over 400 ppm lead in seating materials," according to the report.

The good news is that PVC use is declining overall, with 17 percent of new models boasting PVC-free interiors, up from none in 2006, according to HealthyStuff.org. Some 60 percent of new vehicles do not contain bromine flame retardants. It seems that automakers are backing efforts to eliminate these hazardous chemicals from vehicle interiors, with HealthyStuff.org pointing out that Ford and Volvo have adopted voluntary third-party eco labels for some of their vehicles. The average ratings for Ford's vehicles showed a 30-percent improvement from the 2009/2010 study.

Source and Video:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/19/h...outlander-spo/

spwolf

Ten Best Picks
2012 Honda Civic 0.46
2011 Toyota Prius 0.55
2011 Honda CR-Z 0.63
2011 Nissan cube 0.65
2012 Acura RDX 0.74
2012 Acura ZDX 0.74
2012 Audi S5 0.74
2011 Smart Coupe 0.74
2011 Toyota Venza 0.77
2011 Smart Passion 0.79

Ten Worst Picks
2012 Mini Cooper S Clubman 2.84
2012 VW Eos 2.85
2011 Kia Sportage 2.87
2011 Chevy Aveo5 2.89
2012 Hyundai Accent 2.98
2011 Mazda CX-7 3.08
2011 Nissan Versa 3.08
2011 Kia Soul 3.11
2011 Chrysler 200 SC 3.17
2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 3.17

Blackraven

Hmm okay...........but personally imho, I don't care about the worst picks. I think it's just hype and fear and paranoia.

It's similar to some people's fear of nuclear power plants. Sure they emit toxic and deadly radiation when a meltdown problem occurs BUT, realize that:

Eating a banana gives human body even greater radiation than the disaster at Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan............because Potassium is naturally radioactive. If people fear Fukushima, then by that logic, people should stop eating bananas then. Heck, you should also stop taking X-rays because those give off greater radiation than any nuclear power plant meltdown.

IMHO, most anti-nuclear propaganda is spread by the likes of eco hippy extremists like Greenpeace. Same thinking also applies here.

Lil4X

Automakers have come a long way in reducing the toxicity of interior materials over the past 40 years. My much-loved Opel's vinyl upholstery and dashboard out-gassed an incredible cocktail of benzine, PVC, and other products - so much so that every few months I had to clean the interior glass with ammonia to cut the white film that collected on the windows, particularly if I parked in the hot sun. Most European and some American cars, especially those with large areas of glass, did the same.

At the time I was working with a panel of industrial hygienists who were setting exposure limits for various environmental products in the workplace - and discovered the interior of my own car was one of the more dangerous places I could occupy. Rather than wear a respirator when I drove with the AC on and the windows tightly closed, from that point on I scrubbed and treated every vinyl surface in the car at least every month. If that stuff was making my windows difficult to see through, it was probably having a considerable toxic effect on me.

Today you seldom see windows fogged up like that, whether its because of new materials, or the fall of vinyl interiors from popularity. That gummy residue that was once a part of the "foreign car" ownership experience is long gone.

edgeucated

iTrader: (4)

so....people don't like that new car smell?

ABC

Well i guess the civic has 1 thing going for it these days... lol

mmarshall

That new-car-smell, though, is one thing that most people actually like about their purchases. In fact, it (supposedly) can now be imitated in older cars with spray-bottles and air-fresheners.

That's not to say, though, that everyone finds them all pleasant. CR (Consumer Reports) used to complain that new Hyundais, in particular, had an unpleasant new-car-smell. To some extent, I agreed with them.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Civic's interior = least toxic

Civic's exterior = most toxic