ANCHOR LEAD:
COUGHING, SNEEZING, CONGESTION...NO DOUBT ABOUT IT... IT'S ALLERGY SEASON. WHILE YOU STAY AWAY FROM FRESHLY CUT GRASS...AND EVEN WATCH THE DUST AT HOME...THERE'S ONE PLACE YOU MAY NOT THINK ABOUT CLEARING THE AIR: YOUR CAR! HEADS UP! AS ________EXPLAINS, NOW THERE'S A WAY TO BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF AS YOU HEAD ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY.

TRACK ONE Length: 04
PEDIATRICIAN JENNIFER LONG SAYS SHE'S TOO BUSY TO LET HER ALLERGIES KEEP HER DOWN...

SOT
KEY @: 07 Jennifer Long, Allergy Sufferer
"I would get a lot of nasal congestion, and sinus headaches and sino pressure, sinus pain."

TRACK TWO Length: 06
POLLEN AND WEEDS ARE TRIGGERS. SO ARE POLLUTANTS LIKE CIGARETTE SMOKE THAT CAN DRIVE HER CRAZY WHEN SHE'S BEHIND THE WHEEL.

SOT
KEY @: 20 Jennifer Long, Allergy Sufferer
"When people are smoking cigarettes in a car in front of me, I feel like I can smell the cigarette smoke coming in through the vents in the car, and that can make me feel very congested or feel like I need to cough."

TRACK THREE Length: 10
BUT SINCE GETTING HER NEW CAR - NO SMOKE! HER RIDE COMES EQUIPPED WITH AN AIR FILTER THAT PROMISES TO CONTROL LEVELS OF POLLEN, POLLUTION, MOLD, DUST AND ODORS INSIDE THE CAR.

SOT
KEY @: 39 Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com
"Manufacturers have realized that people are expecting these kind of features in their new vehicles, and, so, they're addressing it by providing these cabin filtration systems."

TRACK FOUR Length: 11
KARL BRAUER WITH EDMUNDS-DOT-COM SAYS BASIC FILTERS NOW COME IN MOST CARS... AT LEAST AS AN OPTION... AND YOU CAN SOMETIMES EVEN UPGRADE TO SOPHISTICATED SYSTEMS. THE ONE THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT ANY FILTER:

SOT
KEY @: 1:02 Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com
"They aren't effective if the filters in the systems are not changed on a regular basis. It's usually between 12 and 15 thousand miles for most vehicles."

TRACK FIVE Length: 06
IF YOU DON'T DRIVE AN ALLERGY FIGHTER, DON'T WORRY. THERE ARE VARIOUS PORTABLE CABIN FILTERS THAT YOU CAN STICK IN YOUR CAR TO CLEAR THE AIR.

SOT
KEY @: 1:12 Karl Brauer, Edmunds.com
"Some people are actually buying aftermarket portable cabin air filters that supplement an existing air filtration system, or on an older car that didn't have one."

TRACK SIX Length: 04
JENNIFER SAYS SHE LIKES THE IDEA OF BREATHING EASY WHEREVER SHE IS...

SOT
Length: 06 (No key/Jennifer Long, Allergy Sufferer)
"We spend so much time in our cars these days, and I think that, a lot of times, our allergy exposure is definitely taking place there as well."

ANCHOR TAG:
EDMUNDS SAYS IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHETHER YOU HAVE A FILTER IN YOUR CAR, CHECK YOUR OWNERS MANUAL. AND, IF YOU HAVE ONE, BUT IT'S NOT LISTED AS PART OF REGULAR MAINTENANCE, ASK YOUR DEALER WHEN AND HOW OFTEN YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR FILTERS CHANGED.

(Additional tag information)

THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ALLERGY ASTHMA AND IMMUNOLOGY SAYS WHILE THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT ALLERGENS ARE FLOATING AROUND INSIDE YOUR VEHICLE, THERE'S NO RESEARCH ON HOW EFFECTIVE CABIN AIR FILTERS ACTUALLY ARE AT CLEARING THE AIR.

SOURCE INFORMATION

Karl Brauer
Edmunds.com
2401 Colorado Ave, Suite 250
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Contact: Celeste Speier
310-309-6300 ext. 6371

Brauer is Editor in Chief of Edmunds.com. He says an increasing number of manufacturers have been adding cabin air filters to their models since the late 1990's. However, he says many consumers do not know these exist. Now, manufacturers are making the cabin air filters known to consumers through advertisements.

ANCHOR TAG:

American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology
Jonathan Bernstein,
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Cincinnati
513-558-5533

Dr. Bernstein is a fellow of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. He says that allergens are commonly found in the cabins of our cars and are frequent cause of complaints by his patients. However, no research exists that proves how effective these filters are.

Background Information

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18.4 million adults were diagnosed with allergies over a 12-month period, according to data collected in 2003.
Mary Jones
Public Affairs Specialist
301-458-4800

Auto manufacturers contacted to show the range of manufacturers offering models with filters. This is not a comprehensive list:

Daimler Chrysler
Cole Quinnell
Manager of Engineering Communications
248-512-0315

Several Dodge and Chrysler models offer cabin air filters as part of an option package. The models include the Dodge Magnum, Dodge Charger, and the Chrysler Pacifica.

Lexus
Greg Thome
Lexus Public Relations Admin
310-468-3279

Lexus offers cabin air filters on several models such as the LS, ES, and SE

Toyota
Bill Quang
Toyota Public Relations
310-468-3764

Toyota offers cabin air filters on several models such as Camry, 4Runner, Corolla, and Sienna.

Volkswagen/Audi
Patrick Hespen
248-754-4838

All Volkswagen and Audi have cabin air filters. Some models, like the Audi A8 and Volkswagen Phaeton, have two filters due to the size of the car and dual and sometimes quadruple climate control systems.