An analysis report by South Korea's "Traffic Safety Agency" pointed out that new cars produced by South Korean automobile manufacturers have detected benzene and other carcinogens and harmful substances that are more than 20 times the standard value for new German cars. The so-called "New Car Syndrome" The situation is very serious.
South Korea's "Chosun Ilbo" pointed out on its front page today that Lee Nak-yeon, a member of South Korea's opposition "Democratic Party", cited the "Research Report on Air Quality in New Car Cabins" submitted by South Korea's "Traffic Safety Administration" on the 15th, which showed that for cars produced in South Korea last year, Thirty-eight cars of nine types were tested for harmful substances in the cabins and the above conclusions were obtained.
The so-called "new car syndrome" refers to the phenomenon where harmful substances emitted from materials in the interior of new cars cause headaches and other physical discomfort, similar to "new house syndrome." This phenomenon is mainly caused by volatile organic compounds emitted from new car seats, roof materials, bottom materials, dashboards, etc.
According to the "Research Report on Air Quality in New Car Cabins" by South Korea's "Traffic Safety Agency", the test results of harmful substances in the cabins of 38 cars of nine types of cars produced in South Korea last year showed that they were classified as carcinogens. The benzene concentration reached an average of 111.3 micrograms per cubic meter, which is as high as 22 times the standard value of the German Technical Inspection Association (5 micrograms per cubic meter).
In addition, the average content of xylene, another harmful substance, reached 827.9 micrograms per cubic meter, which also exceeded the South Korean domestic standard value (700 micrograms per cubic meter); the carcinogens formaldehyde and toluene also reached 97.7 micrograms per cubic meter respectively. and 517.6 micrograms/cubic meter. Although this is lower than the domestic standard value of South Korea, it still exceeds the standard value of Germany and Japan.
According to surveys, when the interior temperature of some vehicles rises in summer, the content of harmful substances will increase up to eight times the usual level. However, the South Korean government has not established in-car air quality standards to regulate "new car syndrome".
South Korea's "Traffic Safety Administration" pointed out in a report that xylene is very harmful to health. In addition, compared with ordinary cars, recreational multi-purpose vehicles contain more harmful substances such as formaldehyde, toluene and xylene. However, the Traffic Safety Administration did not disclose the company name and model of the South Korean automobile manufacturer.
The report pointed out that the places with the most harmful substances in the car are the ceiling, seats, and floor mats. The headliner emits benzene and styrene, the seats emit formaldehyde, the floor mats emit toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, and the dashboard emits styrene and xylene, among others. There are a total of 24 types of harmful substances in the cabin of new cars, and the emissions of substances such as formaldehyde and ethylbenzene can only gradually decrease four months after a new car leaves the factory.
In addition, the results of a questionnaire survey conducted among 800 car owners who purchased new cars showed that 51.5% of the respondents responded that they had experienced symptoms of being affected by harmful substances while driving. The symptoms include: headache (31.5%), eye pain (31%), sneezing (15.8%), fatigue (11.1%), nervousness (11%), nausea (6.3%), difficulty breathing (4.5%), etc. .
– Source: Central News Agency
