Auto Consumers Want to Breathe Easy:
Drivers Value In-Vehicle Air Quality, According to micronAir® Survey
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky., U.S.A. (September 23, 2004) - Consumers in the U.S. want cleaner air inside their vehicles. According to a consumer research study conducted for Freudenberg Nonwovens' filters division - which produces micronAir® cabin air filters for vehicles - people are becoming increasingly aware of the quality of the air they breathe, not only at work and at home but also inside their vehicles.
The study, conducted by The Dohring Co., North America's largest provider of custom market research to the retail automotive community, found that 95 percent of respondents are concerned about certain air pollutants within their vehicle.
"People are taking this issue seriously because it is serious. Studies show that contaminants inside a car can be up to 10 times more concentrated than outside," said Peter Adam, vice president and general manager, Freudenberg Nonwovens, North American Filtration Division. "This is due to the enclosed space and the 'tunnel effect.' Exhaust gases from the vehicles in front of you are sucked into your car as if you're driving inside a tunnel, which drastically increases the level of unfiltered pollutants inside the cabin."
Other results of the study include:- 91 percent of respondents would like to see cabin air filters offered as a standard feature by vehicle manufacturers;
- 83 percent of respondents said they must have or would prefer that their next vehicle comes equipped with a cabin air filter; and
- 85 percent of respondents are concerned about the health effects of exhaust gases and vapors while driving; and almost half of the respondents are concerned about pollens, allergens, germs, dust particles, odors and smog.
Cabin air filters - such as micronAir filters - clean the air entering the passenger cabin of a vehicle through the air conditioning system, reducing certain particulate contaminants that are associated with health concerns such as asthma, shortness of breath, lung tissue damage, cancer, bronchitis, emphysema and influenza.
Filters that feature an additional layer of carbon, like micronAir's combination filters, also reduce unpleasant odors, harmful gases and vapors, as well as particulate pollutants from the vehicle cabin.
"The reduction of particles and gases entering the vehicle interior is obviously important to maintain the health and safety of passengers," Adam said. "It becomes even more significant when 67 percent of respondents to our study indicated they either suffer from allergies and/or respiratory problems or live with someone who does. Cabin air filters can provide relief to allergy sufferers by filtering out contaminants which can trigger hay fever and other allergy problems."
When it came to paying extra for the added value of having a cabin air filter, 82 percent of the respondents said they would be willing to do so.
"The results of this consumer study show that vehicle buyers are strong proponents of cabin air filters and that they believe their vehicles should be equipped with them," Adam said.
The Dohring Co. conducted this consumer study online for Freudenberg Nonwovens among a randomly selected sample of 1,000 Americans from its national member base. The margin of error for the sample is +/- three percent.
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