Your Nissan Versa is trying to kill you, with interior toxins

[themanfromvlad]

"The Ecology Center, a non-profit environmental group, performed tests utilizing an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device that can measure "the elemental composition of any material" and came away with the ten best and worst vehicles to be stuck inside. The Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser and Honda Odyssey take top honors for having the fewest toxins, while the Nissan Versa , Chevy Aveo and Scion xB are the worst offenders."

Full story here:

http://www.spyhotos.autoblog.c...oxins/

[kc5f]

Then again, when you actually read the article...

Concerning phthalates, the chemicals in question, "Long term exposure is considered safe; the plastics industry has used them since the ‘20’s without any indication (i.e. lawsuit) that they cause acute or chronic illness." In this society, if there hasn't been a lawsuit in 80+ years, there probably isn't a problem.

They're said to be estrogen-mimicking (with a hilarious list of possible effects of everybody driving Versas and other such cars). When recounting studies, they state, “Furthermore, humans are exposed to much higher levels of estrogen-mimicking chemicals from other sources, including wheat, soybeans, potatoes, carrots, apples and coffee. Obviously, no one is proposing banning any of these foodstuffs.”

I think I'll just keep enjoying the nice soft surfaces in my Versa!

[proxim2020]

Yeah, I read the rest of the article and I'm not too concerned. I find it funny that we live in world where people actually find the most ridiculous items and find a way that they can kill you. I turn on the TV and hear, "How the TV you're watching can kill you. Tonight at 10." I think people just like to incite hysteria. I also will continue to enjoy my nice interior. If I grow boobs, then I'll call that a bonus

[Jrscherer]

Yeah I think this just goes on the whole thing that they try and scare people into not getting stuff. That's how most of america is, Scare people into thinking it's true and bam, stops people or makes them go with whatever type of things they want you to do. Oh well, probably make it be "safer" but actually end up being worse for us in the long run.

[Clipsed]

lol proxim Im sure you would like that! HaHa you would be touching em all the time huh!!!

[Clipsed]

Yeah I think this just goes on the whole thing that they try and scare people into not getting stuff. That's how most of america is, Scare people into thinking it's true and bam, stops people or makes them go with whatever type of things they want you to do. Oh well, probably make it be "safer" but actually end up being worse for us in the long run.

This is exactly what happened in the late 80's with Consumer Reports and the Suzuki Samurai, CR was so pissed that the Samurai was so cheap they decided to make a negative report on just the Samurai, and actually change testing conditions by a lot to get the Samurai to flip. It was a big controversy and has since effected Suzuki. I remember that, as Suzuki sent a letter to my dad to be a witness in court since by the time Consumer reports filed a lawsuit was in 1994, and by then he had owned the Samurai for about 7 years, and had just purchased our Suzuki Sidekick. I sure do miss the Samurai though!

[CopyChief]

How reliable are these tests?

If you look at the report, most of the Versa's numbers are pretty low, but a couple of them are off-the-chart, even compared to other cars.

I demand a retest.

Second thought, it's not worth the time or effort. Take the money to be spent on this research and give it to the poor.

[BBISHOPPCM]

While this is largely true for any automaker, it doesn't mean everyone who buys a new car will drop dead within a few months... the automakers depend on return customers to keep their profits up. It is, however, a good idea to leave your windows open at least a few inches whenever possible to avoid a high concentration of airborn toxins within the vehicle. I was feeling a bit ill during the first two weeks of ownership, and took steps to keep myself from getting sick by leaving the windows down and running the heat on "fresh" at all times.

[proxim2020]

lol proxim Im sure you would like that! HaHa you would be touching em all the time huh!!!

Heck yea. God knows my wife sure could use a break

[Clipsed]

Heck yea. God knows my wife sure could use a break

AHAHAHA!!!

[Cowboys Fan 87]

As my 92 year old Grandfather, who started smoking when he was 14, once said....."Breathing will kill you eventually you know..."

[GoodbyeCavalier]

LOL It CANT be anyworse than the toxins I add

[catnap]

I used to work for an air quality testing lab (mostly testing construction materials). The Prius was notorius for its bad smelling interior and the boss tested an air sample taken from his friend's Prius. It did have lots of VOC's (volatile organic chemicals) though I can't remember the worst offenders. I find it pretty amusing that the most environmentally "friendly" car was not environmentally friendly to its drivers and passengers.

[KimberKenobi]

If I grow boobs, then I'll call that a bonus

There's one way to look at it ;oD

[ilusha55]

I actually had headaches for a couple of months when driving my new V. When i read this article on some internet site (actually i started to notice it even earlier), i made a connection and now i ventilate the interior and there is a huge difference.It sounds crazy but thats how i roll...

[DreamU]

I actually had headaches for a couple of months when driving my new V. When i read this article on some internet site (actually i started to notice it even earlier), i made a connection and now i ventilate the interior and there is a huge difference.It sounds crazy but thats how i roll...

Not crazy at all. A friend of mine is very environmentally sensitive and can't rent any apartment with new carpet. Another person I know is very sensistive to EM radiation and can't live near high power overhead lines. You are doing well to have figured out what causes your headaches. It took me years to figure out caffeine was giving me migraines.

[musebandrules]

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story....html

This is really scary, specifically for my newborn infant, who has already made 2 600 mile trips in our new V...we've had it for about three months now, and I can't help but be really concerned about this...I feel like the damage has already been done to my son...and that he may have already suffered due to some harsh materials (lead? come on, how is that crap getting in to interiors?)...I'm really pi$$ed about this...I don't mind that people are trying to ease each other's mind about this here, but this study is downright disturbing, and I am really upset about it...

If I add up all the issues with my V since Jan, it totals me not buying another new car from Nissan any time soon (and we are in the market for another one):

Cumulative Issues:

1. Metal Washer Rattle in the driver side "center pillar" that seems to only happen on warmer days, and the Dealer can't "reproduce" it...perhaps a side airbag screw?...still not fixed after 9000 miles, and still driving me nuts...

2. TPMS light still stays on, dealer claims my serial number is not among those that are affected, but I can time it, and I know it's staying lit more than 30 seconds after starting the car, and this was after they put air in the tires...something I will bring up again and again with each oil change...

3. Strange burning smell from the back of the car after I get out and unload my son from the child seat...it smells like burnt toast, and I've seen my wife drive off and noted smoke coming from the bumper opposite the exhaust pipe...and we changed the oil around 4000 miles the first time, so this is not a new oil burn-off smell...it's something else...god knows what...another dealer issue that will likely be downplayed...I don't know if they do this because they don't want me to claim anything on my warranty or what...but soon the $hit will hit the fan, and I'm going to tear in to the service center...

4. Gas mileage is far from EPA (just read the other posts about this in this forum, you'll know what I mean...)

5. Now this awesome report comes out telling me that this collision "safe" Versa has plenty of airborn pollutants as a new vehicle...potentially harmful to pregnant women (and newborns)...so fun...

How upsetting...

Anyway, if anyone can relate, thanks...otherwise, sorry for the rant...I'm just really angry right now about it all...

Modified by musebandrules at 11:47 PM 3/30/2007
Modified by musebandrules at 7:55 AM 3/31/2007

[proxim2020]

I believe this is the reaction that these studies are aiming for. Your reaction is as if you've just realized that you were brushing your child's teeth with plutonium 239. What's lurking in your child's car seat, crib, or your own house? Your home is used a lot more than your car for your child. Just think when you were a kid. Think about all the things that may have been used in the plastic bottles that were used to feed you, the chemicals you used to breath in, the types of chemicals that were used in the cars back then. Back in the day when water purification technology wasn't a big deal and it was common practice to pour used antifreeze and oil down the drain. There was no emissions standards and homes were built only a few yards from the highway. I remember all of these and I'm only 24. I turned out Ok. Our parents seem to be ok. Our grandparents, who went though tougher times with harsher chemicals, all seem to be able to make it to see their grand and/or great grandchildren. I find it pathetic that people get paid to run around yelling, "The sky's falling! The sky's falling! It's going to kill us all" There's always going to be people gullible to say, "Oh no, it is falling. There's nothing we can do. They showed me the numbers and I believe them." Then there's those people that will use common sense and look up to see that the sky isn't falling. Like Cowboy Fan's grandfather said it best, "Breathing will kill you eventually you know...". That could be extended to living life in general.

[motoguy128]

I shared a house with a guy while on a internship that was what I like ot called "new age hippie". He ate all organic vegetarian food and never used over the counter drugs or went to a doctor. The most minor headcold would nearly put him in the hospital. This guy refuses to use vinyl blinds, polyester fibre carpets or polyurethane floor coatings because they "outgassed" toxic chemicals (same as this study describes). So instead he was being poisoned by the high levels of mold and mildew from the natural fibres and the petrochemical solvents used in regular floor varnishes. This guy real all these magazines with articles warning about various toxins.

[KimberKenobi]

I hope you read this...

I did some digging into the "HealthyCar.org" website (the basis for the article you read) and Versa stands thus:Door trim (soft) Lead: 24ppm Exterior window seal Lead: 10ppmFront seat (front) Lead: 137ppmFront seat (rear) Lead: 0ppm (How can it have 137ppm on the front seat, but 0 on the back seat when they are made of the same materials... riddle me this - a difference, yes, a high line and a nothing... no)Steering wheel Lead: 29ppm

Now, US Consumer Product Safety Commission (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/pbcdtoys.html) on toys...

" CPSC staff screened the 12 products obtained for total lead and cadmium. In CPSC's experience, products containing less than 200 ppm lead and 100 ppm cadmium do not release appreciable amounts of dislodgeable or extractable metals, and would not be a lead or cadmium health hazard as a result of reasonably foreseeable consumer handling or use. Eight of the 12 products tested exhibited levels of lead above the screening levels (200 ppm lead and 100 ppm cadmium). "

I went back to HealthyCar.org and read their sampling methods... They specified that they tried to take samples in similar places in every car, but here is where there is a potential for error (even though they state the margin of error built into their detector, which is a whopping 68%...) they did not specify that they sampled more than once per area for each car or that they sampled multiple cars from each line (so likely they sampled only one Versa, and in only one place per itemized area...)Basically, that wouldn't fly in any peer-reviewed setting. There are anomalies in everything, even individuals off an assembly line. There are also anomalies in each individual... maybe they tested an area on one car's steering wheel that was particularly high for whatever reason, but the same spot on a competing car was particularly low... Basically, I'm saying the methods they expressed in their PDF are flawed (read as, that would never have flown for my undergraduate senior project... I would never have even dreamt of offering such methods).

There's my 2 cents...

[XterraVersa]

Whats even worse it the dihydrogenmonoxide that is used to clean the exterior of the Versa. It is the number one industrial chemical used & kill more people each year than any other from over exposure.

[Versalicious]

Heck yea. God knows my wife sure could use a break

I'll second that!!! B BIES!!!