Breathing in the exhaust coming out of a Nissan Versa may not be much worse for you than the toxic new car smell inside from all of the chemicals. According to the non-profit environmental group Ecology Center, sitting in a new Versa has an adverse effect beyond the olfactory organ.
Per their press release "the Ecology Center used a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device, which identifies the elemental composition of any material in less than 60 seconds."
The company looked for known toxins such as chlorine, bromine, arsenic, mercury and others, and the Versa scored the worsa, while the Chevy Cobalt was of the least concern.The group tested more than 200 vehicles for chemicals in the dashboard, steering wheel, carpet, armrests and other locations.
The group didn't quantify the amount of risk from its testing, but it is something to consider along with all of the other safety factors. If nothing else it may get companies to accelerate phasing out unnecessary chemicals in manufacturing.
Source: HealthyCar.org
