CARS SWIM IN CHEMICAL SOUP. Lubricants, coolants, refrigerants, adhesives, paints, waxes, upholstery treatments, battery acids, solvents, hydraulic fluids, and substances designed to make the interior smell like agarwood are the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the iceberg is the fuel.
But short of bonging antifreeze, you’re not going to die immediately from exposure to the warehouse’s worth of chemicals bathing your car. But prolonged, careless intimacy with automotive substances can have serious health effects. One study, conducted in 2016 in Harar, Ethiopia, found increased blood pressure and significant, possibly toxic effects on blood chemistry in its test group of 30 garage workers relative to its control group of Haramaya University students and teachers. Besides indicating that a career in Ethiopian auto repair may be perilous, the study is…