Is Your Shower Curtain Killing You? Protect Your Family

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shower curtains are sold across the United States in well known retail stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Sears/Kmart, Macy's, and Bed Bath & Beyond to name a few. What many consumers do not know is that their rubber ducky shower curtain could be off-gassing more than 100 different kinds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These VOCs can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches; loss of coordination; nausea; and damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. Some VOCs have been known to cause cancer in humans.

The two main cancer causing VOCs detected in the PVC shower curtains are toluene and ethylbenzene. These two chemicals are known to cause cancer, as well as, reproductive toxicity. In the state of California it is illegal for a company to expose individuals to these chemicals without warning. So the next time you are taking a shower, you could be exposing yourself to carcinogens without even knowing it.

Many people change their shower curtains fairly regularly to ward off mold and mildew. During the Center for Health, Environment and Justice's laboratory testing on PVC shower curtains, VOCs were still being detected in the chamber after 28 days. Not only do the VOCs continue to off-gas for over a month, but the Total VOCs measured was 16 times greater than the recommended amount for indoor air quality.

PVC shower curtains off-gas over 100 volatile organic compounds into the air, but where is the government regulation you ask? Currently there is no federal regulation on the air quality within the home. CHEJ and other advocates have several recommendations for consumers, corporations, and the government. CHEJ recommends that corporations should phase out PVC shower curtains, label the shower curtains as PVC or PVC- free, and warn consumers about the chemicals contained. They recommend that the government should adopt policies to ban PVC shower curtains, require warning labels on products, educate the public, and divert PVC products from incinerators or burn facilities. Consumers are recommended to avoid PVC shower curtains and purchase PVC-free shower curtains.

CHEJ's PVC Campaign Coordinator reiterates, "The new shower curtain smell may be toxic to your health. The good news is that families can take simple steps to protect their health by avoiding shower curtains made with PVC and choosing healthier products ." A full listing of PVC free and PVC shower curtains may be found at: www.chej.org/showercurtainreport.