As a patriotic American I am quite familiar with the “new-car smell” all new cars seem to have. What causes that smell, and are there any recorded incidents of dealers or manufacturers spritzing a car with an extra touch of that smell to entice buyers?
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The car companies weren’t much help. My assistant, Jane, sends the following report of her conversation with a woman at General Motors:
“‘Hello, I do research for a syndicated question-and-answer column called “The Straight Dope” by Cecil Adams. Someone has written to ask what, specifically, “new-car smell” is. Could you direct me to someone who can help me with this?’
“‘I realize that. I’m wondering if anyone can tell us what, specifically, that smell is.’
Many people believe the smell comes from phthalates (THAL-ates), softeners used in plastic manufacture. Phthalates, which don’t bond with the material and can leach out over time, are suspected of causing kidney and liver damage and other health problems. Toys “R” Us recently pulled infants’ soft-plastic teething toys from its shelves lest kids get a gutful of the chemicals.
