Confirmed: Air Quality Worse Inside Cars

Not long ago we wrote about the health impacts of cycling or walking alongside roads where cars and trucks spew all kinds of pollutants. The conclusion was that the air inside cars is actually worse than the air around cyclists and pedestrians on the side of the road. Umbra Fisk of Grist magazine said it best: "The nasties are densest at the middle of the traffic zone, and less intense on the edges." Well, Reuters carries confirmation of what we and Umbra said: "Robert Baker, president of the non-profit U.S. Indoor Air Quality Association, said American scientists have found the air inside cars to be more contaminated than the air outside, even in urban areas." But we were only partly right since we did not mention that the air-quality problem inside cars doesn't come from the outside only. Nasties are also coming from "That New Car Smell"; chemicals from car plastics, solvents, audio equipment and air fresheners are added to the toxic mix inside a car's cabin.