Volvo have responded to the concerns of asthma and allergy sufferers and the interiors of four models, the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60, have been recommended by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association.
In the industrialised world, up to 45 per cent of the population are thought to suffer from some form of allergy. Over ten per cent have asthma. One of the reasons for this dramatic increase since the 1950s is air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particulates and pollen in the air.
In the mid-1990s, Volvo decided to establish specifications and started testing to create an environment inside the car that is safe for asthma and allergy sufferers. When the Volvo S80 was introduced in 1998, it was the first model in which this work was clearly noticeable. The objective is for the air inside the cabin to be cleaner than the air outside it, both in terms of the air drawn into the cabin as well as the emissions from the materials in the cabin. What is often referred to as the 'new car smell' is actually low levels of emissions from materials, such as PVC plastics and certain metals.
The levels are so low that they do not present a danger, but when the car becomes warm, concentrations may irritate asthma and allergy sufferers. These substances are quickly vented out of the cabin but Volvo's objective is to avoid these odours completely.
Work with the interior environment can be divided into two main areas: air quality and contact allergies. To ensure that the air entering the cabin is as clean as possible, Volvo has developed two systems: IAQS (interior air quality system) and CZIP (clean zone interior package).
IAQS monitors the quality of the incoming air and automatically closes the air vents if the levels of harmful substances become too high. A multi-filter removes particulates and pollen but also uses a layer of active charcoal to remove odours and ground-level ozone.
"The system thinks for you and closes the air vents, for example, when driving through a tunnel," Andreas Andersson, who is in charge of clean cabins at Volvo, explained. The air in a Volvo fitted with IAQS should always be below the World Health Organisation's limits for urban environments.
CZIP ensures that the air in the car is automatically vented out within one minute of the car being unlocked with the remote control.
This system is recommended by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association.
To avoid emissions from materials in the cabin, a careful selection of materials is made at an early stage. To help with this process, interior components are heated in ovens to measure the effect on air quality.
In the industrialised world, up to 45 per cent of the population are thought to suffer from some form of allergy. Over ten per cent have asthma. One of the reasons for this dramatic increase since the 1950s is air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particulates and pollen in the air.
In the mid-1990s, Volvo decided to establish specifications and started testing to create an environment inside the car that is safe for asthma and allergy sufferers. When the Volvo S80 was introduced in 1998, it was the first model in which this work was clearly noticeable. The objective is for the air inside the cabin to be cleaner than the air outside it, both in terms of the air drawn into the cabin as well as the emissions from the materials in the cabin. What is often referred to as the 'new car smell' is actually low levels of emissions from materials, such as PVC plastics and certain metals.
The levels are so low that they do not present a danger, but when the car becomes warm, concentrations may irritate asthma and allergy sufferers. These substances are quickly vented out of the cabin but Volvo's objective is to avoid these odours completely.
Work with the interior environment can be divided into two main areas: air quality and contact allergies. To ensure that the air entering the cabin is as clean as possible, Volvo has developed two systems: IAQS (interior air quality system) and CZIP (clean zone interior package).
IAQS monitors the quality of the incoming air and automatically closes the air vents if the levels of harmful substances become too high. A multi-filter removes particulates and pollen but also uses a layer of active charcoal to remove odours and ground-level ozone.
"The system thinks for you and closes the air vents, for example, when driving through a tunnel," Andreas Andersson, who is in charge of clean cabins at Volvo, explained. The air in a Volvo fitted with IAQS should always be below the World Health Organisation's limits for urban environments.
CZIP ensures that the air in the car is automatically vented out within one minute of the car being unlocked with the remote control.
This system is recommended by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association.
To avoid emissions from materials in the cabin, a careful selection of materials is made at an early stage. To help with this process, interior components are heated in ovens to measure the effect on air quality.