Is It True? Could Our Shower Curtains Really Be A Toxic Threat?  |
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| This story caught my eye the other day when I was reading our local paper. Is there anything that is safe for us in our everyday life? Must we always be on our toes? Is there anything that is safe to buy anymore that does not cause us harm? ALBANY -- If you use a vinyl shower curtain, you may want to wear a gas mask in the shower, according to an environmental group that found the material releases toxic chemicals that are linked to respiratory illnesses and other ailments. What consumers are buying is not just a "water barrier," said Barbara Warren, executive director of the Citizens' Environmental Coalition, a statewide environmental group. "Instead, what you're bringing home is a toxic cloud." The Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment & Justice released test results Thursday that show curtains made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) emit more than 100 volatile organic compounds. Some of these chemicals -- which can cause headaches and other problems -- could be detected by special equipment up to 28 days after unfolding the curtains. The curtains were purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart. The total level of chemicals was 16 times greater than what is allowed by the U.S. Green Building Council's guidelines for indoor air quality. The concentration of chemicals in a curtain purchased at Wal-Mart was so high, testing had to stop to protect lab equipment. Some curtains also contained heavy metals such as lead, which causes neurological problems, and phthalates, which have been linked to endocrine system disruption. As a result, the nonprofit organization is pushing for federal and state regulations to ban its sale. Some retailers have already agreed to phase out sales, said Anne Rabe, BE SAFE campaign coordinator for the group. But that won't happen immediately. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released similar test results in 2002, Warren said, and those emissions were in violation of the Clean Air Act. Other shower curtains are made of organic cotton, polyester or polyethylene vinyl acetate. They are more expensive than the PVC products. Julie Varughese, an environmental journalism fellow from the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting at the University of Rhode Island, can be reached at 454-5587 or by e-mail at jvarughese@timesunion.com. Guess we will have to become really smart and use a crystal ball to decide if we should buy something or not. Maybe the good old days were not so bad after all.... | | | | | |
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1. ptrikha1 (4094)
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4 years ago
| | Well; If this article is true ;then this is a very disturbing thing . I believe that with our usage of more and more Artificial products :made out of Polymers and like stuff increasing ;we are getting exposed to such toxic compounds etc . Yes;we do have many plus over our ancestors -immediate as well as those of 1000's of years ago;we are worse off in many respects . Regards, -Ptrikha1 | | | | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | I believe we are much worse off than back in the day, they may have not been able to diagnose what was wrong with people and I know there were many plagues etc., but I feel today it is much worse, with all the chemicals and everything that has been introduced to us all these years, all these meds, that I feel worsen a persons condition, and shortens life instead of lengthens it, for every helpful thing thats meds do for us, it also worsens the or any condition, because it is a chemical, just like all the chemicals that they put into everyday things that we take for granted. | | | |
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2. pyewacket (12221)
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4 years ago
| | Unfortunately yes, I did know about this..when I did my article about the dangers of plastic bottles in general, I came across a whole chockful of horrible info about plastics in general...some plastic bottles, the number 3 type are made of PVC type plastic, and so are even many plastic toys for children, plastics found in cars, and yes shower curtains...anything that has a heavy duty "plastic" smell to it is usually an indicator it's PVC plastic and should be avoided like the plague | | | | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | When I read this I was thinking, the smell of a new shower curtain last a really long time, and I really don't care for the smell. I did read your article on platic bottles ,, I also passed it onto my boss,we do not re-use bottle anymore, as we are both very aware of many things that can harm our health, but darn it everyday they come out with something new, and what the heak is a person to do? perhaps the mormans and all the other people who chose to live life without all the modern things that we take for granted these days have the right idea. All the people that don't go along with all this new technology may live longer, but all the reat of us are at the moment really enjoying all the new toys, gadgets, beauty stuff, and all the other stuff we can name. Maybe this is why many of our older people have lived so long, they didn't have what we have now. I better stop now, or this could start a whole story... | | | |
pyewacket (12221)
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4 years ago
| | LOL--maybe people like the Amish have the right idea and "shun" technology and still live the way they have for hundreds of years without any of the modern conveniences Yes in our society we're exposed to a trillion different things that could have detrimental effects to us...we may be living longer but we tend to come down with more "ailments" than our ancestors did..could it be from exposure to all this "crap" I just did an article and submitted it to AC....about the additive Brominated Vegetable Oil in citrus type sodas and drinks like Mountain Dew and Gatorade..over 100 countries have banned it...ours hasn't ...and don't ASK the side effects THAT has--you don't want to know | | | |
howard96h (5692)
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4 years ago
| | Pye, can you give me the link to your article about the Gatorade, I really need to read that. | | | |
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3. sunshinelady (6109)
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4 years ago
| | You know it's getting to the point that a person has to be wary of everything so this does not surprise me. Sometimes it makes a person want to stay in bed and pull the cover over their head. Maybe in earlier times there was disease that doctors couldn't figure out but at least we weren't getting poisoned by manufactured products. | | | | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | I'm with you on pulling the covers over our heads, we just never know what to expect anymore. Even if we read lables it would not help. | | | |
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4. howard96h (5692)
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4 years ago
| | It is getting out of hand, there just are too many unsafe things in our lives right now. I don't understand what is happening, makes you wonder if someone is behind all of this. | | | | | | |
pyewacket (12221)
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4 years ago
| | Thought I'd post here..I'll give you the link when the article is published..only just submitted it today...if you want I can email you my article though as a PDF file | | | |
howard96h (5692)
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4 years ago
| | If you don't mind I'd appreciate it, I have been on a "Gatorade" kick lately and I did not know about this. | | | |
pyewacket (12221)
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4 years ago
| | Just did a quick search..PVC was actually invented in the late 1800s but wasn't patented until 1913...so all along we may have been using it not knowing its dangers until fairly recently | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | Everything is getting out of hand these days. Hey Pye if you don't mind, do you have any info on Red Bull, my son drinks it all the time, and I told him it is not good for him, anything you know on this would be helpful. | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | P.S Don't quote me , but i just think it is Rot Gut stuff. And not good for you. | | | |
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callarse1 (3214)
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4 years ago
| | You are right, however I think PVC is okay for other things, am I right? I believe it's used as pipes and as toys so I think it couldn't be that bad...I think it's because it's in the bathroom and subjected to all those high temperatures, right? I don't like plastics anymore! By the way, I would like the article link as well or message me for the pdf, thank you. Pablo | | | |
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5. callarse1 (3214)
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4 years ago
| | Yes, I've heard about that before. A lot of things can harm you. We'll have to think of going with Organic Cotton the next time we choose a liner. Yes, there are a lot of things that people don't tell us about. It's pretty bad, I know! Pablo | | | | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | The poor unsuspecting comsumer is the last person to know until it is to late. | | | |
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6. patriciaqualls (4590)
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4 years ago
| | This is very scary about plastic. I have heard that we shouldn't put water bottles in the freezer the plastic and the water will cause cancer. Are we not safe anymore??? I don't want to buy anything anymore. | | | | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | I have not heard about freezing bottles in the freezer, but I did hear how it is bad to reuse plastic bottles. | | | |
patriciaqualls (4590)
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4 years ago
| | I don't know if anything we buy anymore is safe... plastic, or the food we buy. This is very scary to read. | | | |
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7. travibabiesgirl (986)
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4 years ago
| | I am game for the good old days because at least then we felt safe even if we were not lol. I don't think any thing is safe any more. Now my shower curtain can kill me. The really scary part is we just a few months ago bought a cheap shower curtain from wal mart and those rated the highest for the toxins. | | | | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | I hear you, I bought mine at Family Dollar. I'm thinking the next shower curtain I buy will be a cloth one ( hopefully that will be safe). | | | |
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8. Pose123 (8254)
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4 years ago
| | Hi irishmist, It seems that everything is a threat those days, and it is very difficult to keep up with it. I've often wondered about plastics, but things are changing so fast that a new report on something is coming out every week. In the good old days that you mentioned, at least the fear factor wasn't as great. Blessings. | | | | | | |
irishmist (2752)
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4 years ago
| | This is true, and there was less sickness and wierd diseases out there. I beleive technology has a lot to do with it. | | | |
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