Cars suck but I’ve been spending too much time in them and now I’m too stupid to explain why
Chemicals in car interiors may cause cancer — and they’re required by US law:
Submitted 6 months ago by boem@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
asbestos@lemmy.world 6 months ago
anon6789@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Not sure exactly why you’re getting downvoted as that was essentially the point of the article:
Flame retardant chemicals off-gas or leach from the seat and interior fabrics into the air, — especially in hot weather, when car interiors can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
Advocates argue that the risks of these chemicals outweigh the benefits.
But health researchers have found that the average U.S. child has lost up to 5 IQ points from exposure to flame retardants in cars and furniture. And adults with the highest levels of flame retardants in their blood face a risk of death by cancer that is four times greater than those with the lowest levels, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
grue@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Not sure exactly why you’re getting downvoted
Because everybody else has been exposed to the same chemicals too.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 6 months ago
The flame retardant thing is baffling me, anyway. Flame retardant fabrics in a vehicle either toting around 10-20 gallons of monumentally flammable gasoline, or hundreds of kWh of lithium batteries. Sure, chief, the fabrics will keep it from catching on fire…
mipadaitu@lemmy.world 6 months ago
The article implies that it’s a long term thing, but doesn’t actually state if it’s better or worse for older cars?
Do people that exclusively buy used cars have less exposure because there isn’t as much off gassing of the newly applied chemicals? Or are older cars more susceptible due to the breakdown over time?
jecht360@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Criticizing cars or the use of cars tends to get a lot of negative feedback.
over_clox@lemmy.world 6 months ago
^ Relevant Username
Zehzin@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Gotta have that neoplasia smell
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 6 months ago
"Morrison, of the firefighters advocacy group, added that “firefighters are concerned that flame retardants contribute to their very high cancer rates.” "
Firefighters union (IAFF) is currently having to sue the governing body (NFPA) to remove carcinogens in the clothes (bunker gear/turnouts) they wear.
applepie@kbin.social 6 months ago
I love that fresh smell of a car in the morning
Grass@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Well fuck. I got all the retard and no flame from all the cars over the years. One more for the multitude of things I’ve been exposed to that make me stuoid.
tal@lemmy.today 6 months ago
Sunshine causes cancer too, and light requirements are sometimes part of zoning codes.
HEXN3T@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
Yet another reason to buy imported cars.
scoobford@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
It likely isn’t any different in imported models, flame retardant materials are a very basic and very important safety feature.
Also, it is surprisingly hard to import a car in the US. I’d kill for decent hot hatch that wasn’t $40k.
Nollij@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
Adding to this, unless you did the importing yourself, it’s still subject to the exact same regulations. Under the law, Hondas are domestic (made in Ohio). Lexuses (made in Japan) are imported, but have to meet all of the same requirements to be sold en masse. This includes federal (including safety standards) and state (most famously, California fuel efficiency requirements).
alucard@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
The article alludes to these chemicals being in fabrics. Does this include leather, not pleather, seats?
boatsnhos931@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Better roll those windows down
AsherahTheEnd@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I hate cars as much as the next sane person. That being said… Is there anything that doesn’t potentially cause cancer anymore? It makes it hard to take seriously, because if I did then I’d be paranoid about everything and my anxiety would be fucking overwhelming. Seems every day we find something seemingly harmless can cause cancer and it feels almost surreal.
SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world 6 months ago
It puts it in the same category as aspartame and mobile phones. That’s below the category with sunlight in it.
TallonMetroid@lemmy.world 6 months ago
That’s because pretty much everything does cause cancer eventually. That’s just a consequence of how cellular division works. The trick is knowing how much exposure to any given thing is needed to cause cancer, and whether you’re likely to reach that threshold before you die of anything else.
orclev@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Yeah, living causes cancer. The real question is, how much does something increase your risk of developing cancer. If it’s less than the increase from walking around outside for a few hours on a bright day you can pretty safely ignore that. As long as you’re not eating the interior of your car I doubt this poses a significant risk.
laurelraven@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
Anxiety is known to the State of California to cause cancer
ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
That’s one of those facts that is made worse by knowing it.