A new study from the American Chemical Society warns that exhaust pipes aren’t the only source of harmful vehicle emissions.
This study shows that wiper fluid can be a significant source of emissions, which will make up a larger share of the overall carbon footprint of vehicle fleets as EV adoption increases.
Hyundai wiper settings warning
That’s because wiper fluid produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can easily evaporate and pollute the atmosphere. Based on a statistical inventory of manufacturers in the UK, researchers found that car care products—including wiper fluid—can be a bigger source of VOCs than vehicle exhaust.
However, the potential effects of wiper fluid emissions have never been scientifically tested, so the researchers measured them from cars on real-world roads. Outside of water, alcohol is the main ingredient in wiper fluid, and researchers found that the emissions of the two alcohols—ethanol and methanol—contain nearly twice as many VOCs as exhaust emissions.
Michelin Stealth Wiper Blades
This is just one in a series of sources from vehicles that have not previously been fully assessed—except, perhaps, in California, where there is already a mix of summer and winter wiper fluid for this very reason. Tires and brakes are another such source, and several studies are now assessing tire microplastic pollution as a serious global problem. This required some innovative solutions—such as a special device that picks up tire dust proposed by a British inventor.
From a source standpoint, vehicles get so much cleaner that use of household cleaners can emit more VOCs than vehicles, so while you don’t need washing liquid, you are actually doing something good for the environment by using regular ingredients. water. Even that wouldn’t completely solve the air pollution problem in places like Los Angeles, according to one study, due to emissions from natural sources.
