It seems like nowadays, researchers are finding out that even cars might have stuff that can cause cancer. Some chemicals used in car seat foam to stop fires can get into the air inside the car. This happens more in the summer because it’s hotter.
A long time ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made rules that said car seat foam had to have stuff in it to stop fires. But now, we know more, and some of those chemicals might cause cancer. California’s Proposition 65 already says two of them can cause cancer.
A study looked at air inside 101 cars from 30 states between 2015 and 2022, in both summer and winter. They found out that electric cars had way less of these chemicals in the air than other cars. In summer, it was up to 14 times less.
Some foam samples from 51 cars had chemicals that could be bad for health like the ones California’s Proposition 65 says can cause cancer.
These fire-retardant chemicals might make fires slower, but some people say they also make fires more smoky and dangerous. Firefighters, for example, are more likely to get cancer from being around these chemicals.
The study wants the NHTSA to change the rules because they were made a long time ago. Consumer Reports also thinks the NHTSA should do what California did and find other ways to stop fires without using chemicals that can cause cancer.
After hearing about this, some people might want to air out their cars more often to get rid of these chemicals.
