Cancer-Causing Chemicals Lurk in Modern Car Interiors: Study

Cancer-causing flame retardants mandated by outdated auto standards have been found in 99 percent of modern cars, posing health risks.

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Every time you slide into the driver’s seat, you may be inhaling a toxic cocktail of cancer-causing chemicals.

Potentially carcinogenic flame-retardant substances lurk in the seat foam and interiors of virtually all modern vehicles, silently exposing drivers and passengers to harm, according to a new study. These hazardous chemicals continue to be forced into our cars due to an archaic federal safety standard that provides no proven fire protection benefits.

Toxic Flame Retardants in 99 Percent of New Cars

The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, analyzed 101 cars from 2015 or later across the United States.

The results showed that 99 percent contained tris(1-chloro-isopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), a flame retardant under investigation by the National Toxicology Program for being a possible carcinogen.

Most cars also had high levels of two other flame retardants, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), listed as carcinogens under California’s Proposition 65, a law that requires companies to list chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and reproductive problems.

Cars tested in the summer had higher concentrations of these chemicals due to increased off-gassing from seat foam at higher temperatures. A parked car can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit within an hour on a sunny day.

Analysis of seat foam samples from 51 cars in the winter showed those with TCIPP in the foam had higher levels in the cabin air, indicating the foam was the contamination source.

Decades-Old Standard Putting Drivers at Risk

The widespread use of harmful flame retardants in cars is due to an outdated flammability standard, Lydia Jahl, a senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute and co-author of the study, told The Epoch Times.

The results were “remarkably consistent” and policy-relevant, showing that manufacturers use these chemicals across various vehicle models, she said.

Federal law requires the interiors of vehicles to contain flame retardants or other chemicals that make them less likely to catch fire after a crash. These flame retardants have been mandated for use in modern cars since 1971, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) passed a law enforcing their inclusion. Another law enforcing their use in child car seats was passed in 1981.

However, while some other transportation industry standards, including those for aircraft and rail, have been adapted over time with the advent of newer flammability protections, the law regulating cars (FMVSS No. 302) has remained mostly unchanged since 1972.

The study likely underestimated the exposure, as it did not account for particle-phase flame retardants or dermal exposure. The study also did not account for flame retardants present in vehicle dust, which could be ingested and serve as another source of exposure.

Most flame retardants are associated with cancer, brain damage, developmental problems, and reproductive issues. The findings suggest that cars are a significant source of exposure, especially for “those who live in warmer climates, have longer commutes, or who drive as part of their job,” Ms. Jahl said. Children are particularly vulnerable due to their higher air intake and developmental stage.

While it’s difficult to quantify the precise health risks, Ms. Jahl noted a concerning aspect: Not only are the flame retardants harmful, but the 53-year-old flammability standard driving their use is “outdated and likely ineffective.”

Calls for Overhaul of Toxic Car Interior Requirements

The chemicals intended to protect people from car fires may actually make cars more hazardous.

These chemicals do little to prevent fires and can also make them “smokier and more toxic for victims, and especially for first responders,” Patrick Morrison of the International Association of Fire Fighters said in a press release.

Firefighters are worried that exposure to these flame-retardant chemicals contributes to their “very high” cancer rates, he noted. “I urge NHTSA to update their flammability standard to be met without flame retardant chemicals inside vehicles.”

Updating the standard would align with changes made 10 years ago to California’s flammability standard for furniture and baby products, which was updated to include newer requirements that could be met without using these chemicals.

The research provides insight into both the problem and the solution, “which is for NHTSA to update the standard to be met without unneeded flame retardants,” Ms. Jahl said.