From our colleagues at the Green blog:
Many drivers enjoy the so-called “new car smell,” a mix of volatile organic compounds that rise from the plastic, leather, cloth, wood and other interior components of cars fresh off the assembly line. The aroma is so popular that some companies even sell new car smell air fresheners.
But does new car smell have a dark side? More specifically, is it intoxicating?
That appears likely to be an element of the defense of a Colorado driver charged in a nighttime hit-and-run accident, according to court documents filed this week, The Vail Daily News reports. The driver, Martin Joel Erzinger, a financial manager, allegedly fled the scene of a crash with a cyclist in July.
The new car smell from a month-old Mercedes-Benz may have contributed to Mr. Erzinger’s losing consciousness before the accident, his lawyers say.
The seemingly novel defense has been raised by an accident reconstructionist hired by Mr. Erzinger’s attorneys. They contend that Mr. Erzinger suffered from sleep apnea and dozed off at the wheel before driving off the road and striking the cyclist.
“Harmful and noxious gases emitted from the upholstery can infiltrate the driver’s compartment and potentially alter the driver,” the investigator wrote.
At least one study has found that fumes from new car interiors can pose a health hazard, particularly on a hot day when the windows are closed. Volatile organic compounds like those found in new car fumes have been linked to a variety of health problems in humans, from throat irritation to cancer.
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