Why you should not turn on car AC immediately after entering hot car

Amongst all car features, a car’s AC system is highly essential as it allows you to cool the interior air of the vehicle in hot weather, providing a cooler environment for the occupants. As beneficial as a car AC is, it can be harmful when not used appropriately.

Many car manuals say “Roll down the windows to let out all the hot air before turning on the A/C”. Do You Know Why?

Turning on the car’s air conditioner immediately after entering a hot car causes a lot of danger to your health. Researchers showed that materials used to make seats, door panels, dashboards and other components in the cabin emits Benzene fumes. In a car the “acceptable” Benzene level indoors is: 50mg per sq. ft. A car parked indoors, with windows closed, will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene – 8 times the acceptable level. If parked outdoors in the sun, at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level. People who get into the car, keeping the windows closed, will eventually inhale excessive amounts of the Benzene toxin. This Benzene has a negative effects to the human body.

According to research, benzene is known to cause cancer based on evidence found from research in people and animals. Benzene has been linked to leukemia and other blood cell cancers. The rates of leukemia, specifically acute myeloid leukemia, have been found to be higher in workers exposed to high levels of benzene, such as individuals in the chemical, shoemaking, and oil refining industries. Constant exposure to this chemical in your car can be just as dangerous. Inhaled benzene can negatively affect your liver, bone tissue and kidneys and it needs time to be eliminated out of your body. It can also cause miscarriage in pregnant women.

What To Do Before Turning On The Car AC

It is recommended that you roll down the car windows as soon as you enter your car, to allow accumulated benzene fumes to vent from the car. Turn on the AC fan to allow a blast of warm air until cool air flows, put the AC in ‘recirculation mode’ to pull air from the front to the back, when cooling starts, roll up the car windows.