Shower Curtain Safety: Good, Bad And Weird Smell

Study questions shower curtain safety saying the strange smell of a new shower curtain may be toxic and risky for health. U.S.-based Centre for Health, Environment and Justice takes another look at the smell of shower curtains and the possible health risks.

There is tempest in a teapot brewing in regard to the chemical safety of shower curtains. It seems that someone got curious about the composition of the "new shower curtain smell". The alert has already been sounded on shower curtain smell. A lurking menace of shower curtain smell in the bathroom hangs there unnoticed, quietly off-gassing a cruel industrial bouquet of death vapors.

A Google survey of the issue turns up quite a number of hits, all reporting the same meager bowl of gruel. Over 100 toxic chemicals have been detected in the fragrance, they say. It would be interesting to see the actual data.

This is the feedback that the manufacturer needs to reformulate the composition of their product. PVC is extremely useful in manufacturing. But the deal you have to make if you want durable and flexible PVC is the incorporation of plasticizers. The PVC industry has steadfastly outlived many predictions of its demise. It will outlive this toxic curtain episode as well. However, they will have to address this matter of odor in their products, hazardous or not.

I smell opportunity for manufacturers of other polymers to step in and exploit the fear and loathing over PVC curtains.

It may be foolish to offer an opinion here, but it seems to me that the population at greatest risk are the factory and warehouse workers. They face potentially chronic occupational exposure.