Asthma & inside of car

JackMN · 08-06-2021 11:38pm #1

Anyone ever come across a situation where the inside of a car was triggering asthma symptoms? Found it with 2 cars: Opel and Peugeot. Just sitting in the car causes a tight chest sensation. Other non-asthmatic passengers are unaffected...Really curious to hear if anyone else has experienced it.
It might mean having to change our car!

berocca2016 · 08-06-2021 11:42pm

JackMN wrote: »

Anyone ever come across a situation where the inside of a car was triggering asthma symptoms? Found it with 2 cars: Opel and Peugeot. Just sitting in the car causes a tight chest sensation. Other non-asthmatic passengers are unaffected...Really curious to hear if anyone else has experienced it.
It might mean having to change our car!

When was the last time the pollen filter was changed? I don't have asthma but changing this really helped my hayfever !!

Also might be no harm to fully shampoo out the car before you change it !

Atlantic Dawn · 08-06-2021 11:44pm

A pollen filter change and having the climate control on will make the car a much better environment, I leave mine on constantly, summer or winter it doesn't matter.

Pretzill · 08-06-2021 11:58pm

I got it sometimes until I realised it was the smell of the windscreen wash. Scents like perfumes, air fresheners and petrol smells really trigger my asthma

JackMN · 09-06-2021 10:18am

Thanks everyone. Pollen filter changed so definitely not that. Not using a windscreen cleaner - just water.
There's a mild smell - not too offensive. But others don't notice it at all. Even short exposure tightens my chest.
Had to get rid of the last car over it and had that car checked in three different garages for things like a leak under the hood or something like that releasing chemicals into the cabin. No smoking gun.
But the fact that it has happened in a second car now makes me think it's not a fault - there's something being used in certain car models that is really aggravating.

Anyone else have any experiences? Or solutions?

Atlantic Dawn · 09-06-2021 11:38am

Are you carrying anything regularly in the boot that might have a strong odour?

Outkast_IRE · 09-06-2021 11:39am

I am not being smart here , but are you sure its not a panic attack you are having?
Is it just Opel & Peugeot or have you sat in other brands with no issue ?

JackMN · 09-06-2021 3:59pm

Definitely not that. Never had a problem in several other cars (different models - Toyota, VW, Ford - before the Opel). And currently have no problem in other cars. It's also 'real' insofar as doctor and consultant have had to treat it.

Larbre34 · 09-06-2021 4:05pm

No. But for people with respiratory ailments, you have to clean the interior of the car as often as you'd clean your house. That includes the air intakes below the windscreen and in the engine bay, they can become clogged with pollen and dead and damp organic matter, depending on the season.

Don't use the external air in heavy traffic, limit use of refrigerated air conditioning, open windows for fresh air ventilation as often as possible, change pollen filters more often than the manufacturer spec.

If after all that, a person still feels an increase in their symptoms while riding in that car, have it checked for leaks of fuel, oil and other fluids such as brake fluid and coolant. All will be an irritant if not sealed. And make sure not to overdo the ratio of windscreen cleaning detergent to water, that stuff comes in as live vapour instantly. Try 10:1 mix to begin with and work backwards.

punisher5112 · 09-06-2021 4:08pm

Ozone purifier, cloth seats or leather etc.... Could be some material causing issues.

JackMN · 09-06-2021 4:13pm

Thanks. Read that it could be the upholstery of the car alright that emits a faint smell, which could be an irritant.

JackMN · 09-06-2021 4:14pm

Thanks for this. I've investigated every one of those items.
A clue could be that it's present even when the car is turned off, and even when the car has been off for a few days....

looksee · 09-06-2021 4:20pm

Is it a new car? I have a relative who really cannot cope with new fabrics, surfaces etc and has to leave anything new to 'air' or 'de-chemical' before having it in the house. Have you tried leaving the car doors open (if you have space to do this) for a good few hours to ventilate away any chemical smells.

krissovo · 09-06-2021 4:25pm

Are these new cars?

My daughter has asthma and two fairly recent new car purchases set off her symptoms. Apparently it was likely caused by some of the sealants and adhesives used to put the car together that were still curing. We were told manufacturers often add perfumes to provide a "new car smell" to some these adhesives/sealants.

I just checked her notes, Ozium & solvents are listed as one of the prime suspects.

punisher5112 · 09-06-2021 4:47pm

Get the car window covers, so windows can be left open slightly even if it's raining.
Wind deflectors

mrslancaster · 09-06-2021 4:53pm

krissovo wrote: »

Are these new cars?

My daughter has asthma and two fairly recent new car purchases set off her symptoms. Apparently it was likely caused by some of the sealants and adhesives used to put the car together that were still curing. We were told manufacturers often add perfumes to provide a "new car smell" to some these adhesives/sealants.

I just checked her notes, Ozium & solvents are listed as one of the prime suspects.

Car air fresheners can cause real problems too, a friend of mine cant get into a car or taxi with them. OP, if you had the car valeted recently or used some of the common car cleaning products it could be from the chemicals in them.

Fragrance allergies and MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities) seem to be getting more common. There's so much fragrance in everything these days it's overwhelming between scented laundry products, personal products for showers, body sprays, anti-perspirants, perfumes & aftershaves, scented candles, the list is endless.

Fresh air fragrance is sprayed constantly in shops, restaurants, banks, dog groomers, etc and can be very strong when you become aware of it. Also strong perfume or aftershave, my friend said Lynx is the worst offender...

IMO its definitly got more prevalent in the past few years but maybe that's because I'm more aware of it because of my friend.

JackMN · 09-06-2021 6:03pm

looksee wrote: »

Is it a new car? I have a relative who really cannot cope with new fabrics, surfaces etc and has to leave anything new to 'air' or 'de-chemical' before having it in the house. Have you tried leaving the car doors open (if you have space to do this) for a good few hours to ventilate away any chemical smells.

Yes, tried this too!

JackMN · 09-06-2021 6:04pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Get the car window covers, so windows can be left open slightly even if it's raining.
Wind deflectors

Tried that too!

JackMN · 09-06-2021 6:05pm

krissovo wrote: »

Are these new cars?

My daughter has asthma and two fairly recent new car purchases set off her symptoms. Apparently it was likely caused by some of the sealants and adhesives used to put the car together that were still curing. We were told manufacturers often add perfumes to provide a "new car smell" to some these adhesives/sealants.

I just checked her notes, Ozium & solvents are listed as one of the prime suspects.

Thanks for this! Neither car was new. The first troublesome one was 3 years old when I bought it. The other one was 1 year old.
However, I wonder did the dealer spray something into it before re-selling...

krissovo · 09-06-2021 8:31pm

JackMN wrote: »

.
However, I wonder did the dealer spray something into it before re-selling...

I believe its getting common to use an "Ozium bomb" in 2nd hand cars as well. Its like throwing a smoke bomb into the car so it completely penetrates the car and eliminates all smells.

JackMN · 09-06-2021 8:35pm

krissovo wrote: »

I believe its getting common to use an "Ozium bomb" in 2nd hand cars as well. Its like throwing a smoke bomb into the car so it completely penetrates the car and eliminates all smells.

Thanks! And I tried this to get rid of the irritant/smell too to no avail. The smell/irritant isn't anything recognisable like a perfume/air freshener.

krissovo · 09-06-2021 9:20pm

JackMN wrote: »

Thanks! And I tried this to get rid of the irritant/smell too to no avail. The smell/irritant isn't anything recognisable like a perfume/air freshener.

Ozium is the irritant in this case, this is one of the chemicals that sets my daughter off with an attack.

Asthma & inside of car

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