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November 17, 2006
Some truths bear repeating!
Based on what we see in the news clips from time to time, it seems wise to repeat some basic realities about phthalates and their many uses. Apparently driven by a recently released report, we’ve seen a couple of news stories linking phthalate with new car smell.
Yes, it is true that phthalates are often used to make the vinyl in car interiors flexible.
But let us repeat a couple of other truths:
They are relatively heavy molecules that have low volatility.
They have little or no odor.
What does that all add up to? Phthalates are not a component of new car smell. Studies that have done some real science on the content of the air inside new vehicle confirm that. If you actually like the smell, we take no credit. Those organizations that assume phthalates are a significant component of car air should do some actual testing. See http://www.csiro.au/files/mediaRelease/mr2001/newcars.htm. That’s an Australian government study, and the most careful analysis of car interior air we are aware of.
Posted by Chris at November 17, 2006 5:54 PM