We've all been there. You have a car that you want to keep showroom fresh, but you find yourself constantly cleaning the inside of the windshield. You think it's just dust, so you keep your windows closed and your climate control on its recirculate setting, but the glass keeps getting dirty. You look closer and realize that it's not just regular old dust, but some sort of gross film. This nasty haze continues to build up, making headlights and other street lighting blurry at night. It eventually reduces overall visibility.
So what exactly is this hazy, disgusting, annoying film on the inside of your windshield? It's from your dashboard, and other pieces of your interior, and it is as gross as you might be thinking. It's a chemical residue that forms from a process called off-gassing, and not only is it annoying to keep clean, but like car seat foam, it could contain carcinogenic chemicals that are bad for your health.
Those gases are actually what you're breathing in when you take a whiff of that new car smell. Inhaling the scent means you're inhaling chemicals like toluene, benzene, and formaldehyde. Plus, there are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as "forever chemicals" because the components break down slowly over time. They can be found everywhere on the planet, so it's no surprise they're also in your car.
How do these chemicals end up there? Automakers decided that cars catching on fire were a bad thing, and some of these chemicals are used to make interior pieces fire-resistant. They are also used to help repel stains and water. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, specifically, were the dominant chemicals used as flame retardants, but they were banned by the Stockholm Convention in 2019. However, there are several exemptions for automakers and suppliers, and the United States hasn't ratified the treaty and therefore isn't bound by it. That means you could still find these chemicals in new cars today.
So what exactly is this hazy, disgusting, annoying film on the inside of your windshield? It's from your dashboard, and other pieces of your interior, and it is as gross as you might be thinking. It's a chemical residue that forms from a process called off-gassing, and not only is it annoying to keep clean, but like car seat foam, it could contain carcinogenic chemicals that are bad for your health.
Those gases are actually what you're breathing in when you take a whiff of that new car smell. Inhaling the scent means you're inhaling chemicals like toluene, benzene, and formaldehyde. Plus, there are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as "forever chemicals" because the components break down slowly over time. They can be found everywhere on the planet, so it's no surprise they're also in your car.
How do these chemicals end up there? Automakers decided that cars catching on fire were a bad thing, and some of these chemicals are used to make interior pieces fire-resistant. They are also used to help repel stains and water. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, specifically, were the dominant chemicals used as flame retardants, but they were banned by the Stockholm Convention in 2019. However, there are several exemptions for automakers and suppliers, and the United States hasn't ratified the treaty and therefore isn't bound by it. That means you could still find these chemicals in new cars today.
