New report from case study
on indoor air quality in car cabins

One of the case studies carried out in Mistra SafeChem phase 1 was on indoor air quality in car cabins. A new report presents the results.

This case study was a collaboration between IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Volvo Cars. The aim was to use the Mistra SafeChem toolbox to ensure high indoor air quality in the car and that the materials used in the car are safe.

The focus was on assessing exposure to specific substances and identifying strategies to reduce or replace these substances with safer and sustainable alternatives. The aim was to achieve substitution from a systems perspective, ensuring not only increased safety but also improved environmental performance of the alternatives without changing the material properties.

In order to achieve these objectives, this case study followed two main tracks:

1. An evaluation of current and alternative plasticisers used in artificial leather to investigate safe substitution.
2. An analysis of the carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances present in indoor air and an analysis of which substances should be prioritised for substitution with a safer alternative.

– While the toolbox is still too complex for immediate widespread use, it shows great potential to meet the needs of the industry. Several of the challenges and limitations that were identified in this study are already being addressed within Mistra SafeChem, says project leader Dämien Bolinius, IVL.

The report is written by Dämien Bolinius and Georgios Giovanoulis, both from IVL, and Aleksandra Sebastian, Jeffrey Phan and Maria Bernander, all from Volvo Cars.

Read the report Indoor air quality – materials inside the car cabin – WP6 Case Study Summary Pdf, 1.6 MB, opens in new window.