Report of Toxic xB interior materials
 

Has Scion/Toyota replied to the finding of HealthCar.org that the xB interior is among the most toxic? Do the chemicals remain toxic? I'm ditching mine if this research is not responded to fully and frankly.

I had a post a while back about these foggy spots that keep showing up at the upper corners of my windshield, someone has said it was plastic outgassing, I also had the stuff accumulate behind my garage door remote on my first XB its was like a gel, so much had"outgassed" from the plastics in my xb. So I would not doubt the claims. I really want to put the stuff on a razor blade and take it to a lab

I am sure people have seen how there windows get a fog on them in a new car, for some reason mine would accumulate in the upper corners of the windshield,. I still would have it on the whole windows but it really "pooled up" on the upper corners of the windshield.
Here is an article I found from a quick google search
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/99/carvocs

this actually talks more specifically about the residue on the window.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990528.html

Because the increasing use of plastics, more specifically, polymers in a car interior, it seemed like it's been a issue lately. Polymers does emit gases when it's formed and continues to emit them after it's formed.

Like most plastics, the gasses does stop coming after a while, and you can hasten it by letting it heat up and cool down regularly, like parking it under the sun at work, and let it cool down at night.

Their use of toxicity might also come from the risk of poisoning if for example, your kid starts chewing on your door panels. Plastic toys have had this problem of toxic materials coming out when a kid chews on them.

But thats what gives it that New Car smell

Re: Report of Toxic xB interior materials
 

please provide a link to your source, sir. healthcar.org is being squatted on, and healthcare.org is a holding page.

Well, from what I've read in both of the articles posted by archangel if you bought your vehicle after it's been sitting on the lot for awhile you are further out of harm's way, but if you received your vehicle right off the truck you are running a higher chance of getting harmed by the "outgassing".

looks like we got some more info on this:
(asks for registration)

thanks for diggin that up guys!

Holy crap!! That's what that stuff on the windows is. I thought my dirty friends' fat fingers were touching the corners when I wasn't looking. I was going to start spitting in their food when they weren't looking.

Good to know it's just chemicals slowly killing me.

oh well, what's a little outgassing...with all the pollution, second-hand smoke and ozone weakening carbon dioxide, Carpet and plastic odors probably shouldn't be anything to lose sleep over....

Ick. That's scary.

Yeah, and the lead in your car's battery could give you cancer! It's all on CA's proposition 65 website...

http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html

i love my box still, or maybe thats just my new outlook because the chemicals are making me addicted to being inside of it.

i gotta go for another drive...be right back. mmmmmmm

Re: Report of Toxic xB interior materials
 

As others have stated, don't let a small article that is designed to incite fear and exagerate force you to sell a car. If you have an incinerator or coal plant in your town, you are breathing FAR worse air (and radiation from coal) than what is in your car anyways. Plus if you get a new car, you will just have to breath even more toxic fumes waiting for it to dissipate.

The article should just go full steam and say, "Your new car smell will kill you!" It seems like that would cause even more panic.

The heat in Florida removed those toxic fumes fast from mine, it was gone in weeks.

I was a two pack a day smoker for 15 years. It doesn't scare me. ;)

I read that article when it first came out, and let me ASSURE you, the entire concept is junk science at its absolute stupidest. Run a google on the most likely causes of death in America - I'm pretty sure you won't find "plastic outgassing" on the list. I'm fairly certain that selling a quality vehicle because of THAT might be the stupidest reason for selling a car ever.

Check the stats. Look at how many people die from heart disease, vs. fictional problems like "plastic contamination." Find lung cancer on that list. I guarantee you'll be a little more worried about eating at McDonald's and the guy smoking next to you at the bar than where your car may have fallen on a list published by a group obviously desperate to get noticed in the scientific community.

Toyota and Scion haven't responded to it because publishing some kind of response to this "issue" would be giving a tiny bit of legitimacy to this Fox News-style fabrication of things you should be afraid of. I'm sure if I published a study saying that THE SCION XB IS WORST PERFORMER IN VEHICLES LIKELY TO GET YOU ABDUCTED BY CANNIBAL MORMONS FROM SATURN they wouldn't respond either.

Sorry for the harsh response, but frankly, after seeing a good number of people respond with "oh noes!" instead of the appropriate response, I felt it was called for.

Finally... Someone with a brain! Not to freend fox news though, but ALL media is guilty of pushing junk science, not just fox. The internet is the worst offender of them all! According to the internet, fire fueled by jet fuel can't melt steel... And even if that were true, you don't need to melt steel to destroy a building, you just need to weaken it. I would nominate Rosie O'Donnel as the worst pusher of junk science of all time.

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that other news outlets aren't guilty of the same nonsense - Fox just popped to mind because I was recently exposed to their brain cancer. :silly: Yesterday they were telling me I should be afraid of malaria, because OVER 1000 AMERICANS A YEAR CONTRACT IT. D: Wow, I'm pretty sure more people are killed in a given year from the common cold and flu - thanks for the perspective.

It's just like the side-impact ratings for the Gen 1's - I hate to complain about "the media," but a bunch of news programs got ahold of some pretty pictures of xB's being smushed by the Barrier From Hell, and suddenly it was The Least Safe Car In Existence. Nevermind that EVERY CAR EVER PUT THROUGH THAT TEST without side airbags has failed. Nevermind that the xB actually did better than the vast majority of cars currently on the road. Nevermind that the chances of actually being involved in an accident of the sort depicted in the test are only slightly greater than being struck by lightning. WE HAVE PICTURES, THEREFORE FEAR SIDE-IMPACT DOOM.

Smoking one menthol "lite" cigarette exposes you to more carcinogens than you'd get if you lived in brand-new xB's for a year, so it really grinds my gears that someone's actually considering ditching the car over it.

stuff foggin up windows is normally from thing in the air , not plastic leeching , smokers get it , and air fresheners do it.

my xB never had it....


all the most toxic stuff is the initial leeching of fumes from plastics(mostly) as well as fabrics . the leeching does not last for very long.


and i like how you put it all into perspective zomgxb