A new study from American Chemical Society provides a reminder that exhaust pipes are not the only source of harmful emissions to vehicles.
Research shows that wiper fluid can be a significant source of emissions, one that will become a larger share of a vehicle’s overall carbon footprint as EV adoption increases.
Hyundai wiper installation warning
That’s because wiper fluids produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can easily evaporate and pollute the atmosphere. Drawing on statistics from UK manufacturers, researchers have found that car care products—including wiper fluids—may be a bigger source of VOCs than vehicle emissions. vehicle.
However, the potential emissions impact of wiper fluid has never been scientifically tested, so the researchers measured it from cars on real-world roads. In addition to water, alcohol is a major ingredient in wiper fluids, and researchers have found that the emissions of two types of alcohol—ethanol and methanol—contain nearly twice the amount of VOC emissions.
Michelin Stealth Wiper Blades
This is just one of a series of sources from previously under-reviewed media—except, perhaps, for the inside californiawhere there has been a mixture of wiper fluid in the summer and winter for this reason. Tires and brakes are other such sources, and several studies have now evaluated microplastic pollution from tires to becoming a serious global problem. This requires some creative solutions—such as a special device that helps Tire dust collection proposed by UK inventors.
From a point source point of view, vehicles have become so much cleaner that the use of household cleaners can emit more VOCs than a car, so when you don’t need laundry detergent, you’re actually doing something good for the environment by using plain water. Even that won’t solve it completely air pollution problem However, in places like Los Angeles, one study has argued that it’s due to emissions from natural sources.
