I asked about others having the same symptoms. That implies it isn’t affecting just one person.
Maybe yes, maybe no…
Had that problem in an old ford pickup, ended up valve cover gasket only leaking drops of oil onto the exhaust manifold. It was a known problem from the manufacturer with tsb, no recall, put in a diverter piece of metal to drip the leak away from the manifold. It does not take much oil to cause an issue.
Take a test drive in another new car as similar to your own as they have, from the dealership lot. Does that one cause your eyes to burn too? If so, it’s possible the plastics in the AC system are outgassing. If so, that problem should go away after some use. Roll down the windows and flush the cabin w/fresh outside air in the meantime.
i have had problems with almost all new car interiors…killing my eyes…its a combination of burning and what i would call severe eye stiffness…very uncomfortable. doesn’t happen right away…but usually a few hours after i am exposed. i have tried so many cars and it seems to happen with all of them. it also happens on test drives from used car lots. i am at my wits end since this has stopped me from buying a new car for a very long time. many times symptoms worsen after several day exposure to problems with my vocal cords and general brain fogginess.
any ideas of what the chemical is that is the cause of the prob and what i can do about it?
i suspect fire retardant or stain resistant chemicals?
Could well be that. The plastics in the car will break down over time & outgas, and there’s a lot of plastics in cars, so that’s another idea. New cars will outgas more than older cars. Most people aren’t affected as severely as you of course. Everyone’s personal chemistry is different, so it looks like you got the short end of the stick on this one. Eye irritation and vocal cord irritation is the main problem? hmmm … Here’s some ideas
- Buy used cars rather than new cars
- Vacuum/clean the interior regularly with mild soap sol’n and damp cloth, then clean dry cloth.
- Keep the windows down as much as possible, especially when parking the car overnight or longer periods.
- Use an electric fan to blow fresh air through the passenger compartment fir 30 minutes before driving.
- Masks w/charcoal filters
The materials used in the interiors and adhesives will continue to outgas for a long time, especially when a car is in the lot with the windows closed and the sun shining in. Age and fresh air is about all that can be done from a car standpoint anyway. Your doc may have some other recommendations.
Like formadahide used in pressed wood furniture and cabinets, and other chemicals and latex, you can become sensitized to the chemical by long term exposure. Once sensitized, any exposure will cause problems. It could be that you have become sensitized to one of the chemicals used in the interiors, I dunno. I had a neighbor that was crippled with joint pain. He finally went to an allergy clinic in Chicago and by process of elimination determined he was allergic to all petroleum products including plastic and natural gas. He got rid of everything plastic including his eye glass frames and went to wood heat. In no time he was like a new man with no more joint pain. It was very expensive and took over a month so just depends on how serious an issue it is. Your doctor could refer you to specialists.