CHANCES are high you spend a large portion of your time in your car. And there’s one particular smell that you may not realize should be cause for concern.

According to a new study published in the journal Environment International, one of the most beloved smells out there — what’s affectionately known as “new car smell” — is actually harmful to your health in more ways than one.

According to the study out of the University of California, Riverside, that “new car smell” is usually the combination of two chemicals: formaldehyde and benzene. Formaldehyde is often used in the carpets, leather and paints of a vehicle’s interior, while benzene can be found within plastics, synthetic fibers, rubbers, dyes and more.

“These chemicals are very volatile, moving easily from plastics and textiles to the air that you breathe,” David Volz, an environmental toxicologist from the University of California, Riverside and co-author of the study, said in a statement.

Formaldehyde and benzene are both known to be carcinogens, meaning they’re capable of causing cancer. But even with limited exposure, they still pose other health risks. “When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience adverse effects such as watery eyes; burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation,” the National Cancer Institute explains. Benzene can also lead to reproductive and developmental health issues, as well as negatively affect your blood. “Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and can affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states.

The University of California, Riverside researchers concluded that the presence of these two chemicals in particular “pose a higher risk to commuters” in terms of health complications when compared to any other chemicals present in the interior of your car. According to the study, concentration levels of benzene and formaldehyde typically exceed safe amounts if someone is driving for 20 minutes or longer every day. To combat the risks, commuters are recommended to keep their windows open. (SD-Agencies)