Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Ecotourist, please analyze what you say.
Your lungs may be filled with the air downstream of the cabin filter. So, if you get a [censored] one, then there may be a possibility it was mishandled, made with toxic glue, etc, etc
Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
A principal of toxicolgy is that "the dose makes the poison". Toxic materials are only toxic at an identifiable dose. Parts per million and especially parts per billion are not usually a concern. Some people say there's no safe dose of asbestos but let's leave that contentious matter aside for the moment.
The solvents in glues do have the potential to be toxic (they could contain n-Hexane or Methyl n-Butyl Ketone for example). [Though not glues sold in the first world.] Even if there happened to be a toxic solvent in the glue, by the time a filter is sold, the glue would be thoroughly dry - ie no significant remaining VOCs. And a few minutes of the usual massive airflow (normal for any auto) would deal with any last tiny bit. So no, I'm not worried about solvents.
A risk with an air filter is improper fit. One major brand didn't fit as well as I would have liked on my BMW engine for example - so I returned it. But the after market cabin filters I've used in both my vehicles fit quite well - and the designs are quite good - a fold of filter overlaps the plastic carrier in my Honda for example.
All vehicles up to some point and even some fairly recent vehicles (some 2007 Accords I'm told) didn't have any cabin filter at all. So a less than ideal cabin filter would be a big improvement.
I drive around with my car windows open from time to time. I have a sunroof in both my vehicles that admits unfiltered air. I open my windows at night to cool the house. I'm sitting by an open window as I write. I walk about freely in the streets. And I don't worry about the air.
A good functioning respiratory tree is quite capable of dealing with small amounts of most particulate. Though asbestos may be the exception.
But I'm less comfortable with getting debris in my engine. I think I had an early engine failure due to leakage around an engine air filter - a Ford 289 V8 burning oil by 80,000 miles, and when I got it, a misplaced gasket kept the air filter from sealing properly. There was actually visible dust inside the filtered area.