Shower Curtains Can Cause Health Problems
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I know I am not the only one who has wondered about vinyl shower curtains. Their smell just screams "TOXIC!". Well, I guess instincts are right sometimes. Results from a two-phase study released today by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice ( a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing environmental health harms caused by chemical threats) , show that shower curtains made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic contain many harmful chemicals including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phthalates and organotins. Vinyl shower curtains and shower curtain liners release chemicals into the home that are most easily identified by that “new shower curtain smell”. Results of this study show that PVC shower curtains can release toxic chemicals into the air that may lead to adverse health effects including respiratory irritation, central nervous system, liver and kidney damage, nausea, headaches and loss of coordination. The Work Group for Safe Markets is a co-sponsor of this report.
TO read the full report go to www.chej.org/showercurtainreport.
Here are the Key Report Findings
•108 different volatile organic compounds were released from the shower curtain into the air over twenty-eight days.
•After one week, 40 different VOCs were detected in the air; after two weeks, 16 VOCS; after three weeks 11 VOCs and; after four weeks, 4 VOCs.
•The level of Total VOCs measured was over 16 times greater than the recommended guidelines for indoor air quality established by the U.S. Green Building Council, violating these guidelines for seven days.
•Just one new PVC shower curtain will release Total VOCs that exceed the typical Total VOCs residential level for four days.•
The concentration of Total VOCs in the Wal-Mart tested shower curtain
analytical equipment was saturated and further testing had to be halted
would not be damaged.
•All five curtains tested in phase one contained phthalates DEHP and
in children’s toys in California, Washington, and the European Union.
•This testing did not replicate temperature and humidity conditions typically
which would likely increase the concentrations of volatile pollutants
curtain into the air of a bathroom; concentrations of these chemicals
greater during and after a shower than those reported in this study
What alternatives do you have?
I found this site: www.homegreenhome.com that lists many vendors- including those that sell organic shower curtains.
Ack! I think everyone knows that shower curtain smell.
We were nervous about our old pipes and the possibility of lead in our water so we switched to the Poland Spring home delivery- then I found out that the jugs the water comes in are polycarbonate plastic, good old number 7 BPA! So we returned them and are just doing Brita. Why is everything filled with chemicals and yucky stuff?! It’s amazing how much you learn once you have kids. Thanks for these great posts!
Thank you so much for posting this! This is a topic that is hugely underreported.
I had such a tough time trying to find a remotely attractive alternative to our “vinyl wonder”. I ended up buying a cotton curtain from Garnet Hill and a polyester liner from Pottery Barn. I am also told that IKEA makes a chlorine-free option out of PEVA plastic but I don’t know much about it.