Yay for science again! Andy Brunning, a chemistry teacher in the UK blogs about chemistry on Compound Interest. He wrote a recent blog about new car smell - http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/06/16/newcarsmell/ and Andy has also written some other interesting blogs about the smell of books and the effects of catnip on cats.
As part of my life style to avoid migraine triggers, I avoid 'new car smell'.
Studies have isolated some of the most common VOCs found in the
interiors of new cars. Many of these are aromatic compounds – that is,
compounds containing a benzene ring, a structure based on six carbons
bonded together cyclically. These include toluene, xylenes, styrene, and
trimethylbenzenes. Additionally, simpler carbon-based compounds are
also found – these include alkanes, which are composed simply of long
chains of carbon atoms, bonded to hydrogen atoms.
For my house, I realize I also need to be careful about paint, but that won't be an issue till there's walls.
