HealthyStuff.Org is an information portal for the Ann Arbor, a Michigan based Ecology Centre. It recently conducted a research in which it used an X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device to test the toxicity levels in the interiors of various vehicles.
The team found traces of life-damaging substances like lead, cadmium etc in the passenger compartments of the cars, measured in ppm (parts per million) and then the products were assigned low, medium or high risk level ratings dependent on quantity of such substances present. The findings were then rated on a scale of 0-5 (0-best, 5-worst)
The results were quite astonishing.
On one hand, the Chevrolet Cobalt scored a no threat rating of 0.7 and on the other hand, the Chevrolet Aveo scored an alarming rating of 4.7 (Click on the image above to understand the whole story)
While there are safety and emission norms for vehicles, we’re not aware of norms which prescribe the permissible levels of toxicity in interior of the cars. We generally assume that once we roll up the windows and switch on the air-conditioner, we’re completely insulated from the pollution or harmful substances in the atmosphere around us. Well, think again!
PS - The findings pertain only to the US-built 2009 year spec Chevrolet Aveo. Tests have not yet been performed on vehicles manufactured in India or other countries.
Source - IndianAutosBlog
