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....