Your Shower Curtain Might Be Bad for You
How to avoid potentially harmful compounds given off by the plastic
Reader Comments
PVC Shower Curtain warning vs PVC Strip ads
It is interesting that there is an informative online article warning the public that their PVC shower curtain may be harmful to their health while in the sidebar advertisements there is an ad for PVCSTRIP.COM that advocates using PVC materials for a flexible curtains in industrial doorways.
One would wonder if this is truely a dangerous material to be used in a household when more people are exposed to PVCs (among other chemicals) in the workplace.
If we all switch over to using EVA will there be the same warning someday that says it is possibly harmful and we should stop using it? When is it safe to say that all the testing will be enough to guarantee no one will suffer from chemical exposure?
Your P.V.C. Shower Curtain...
What a disappointment!
I thought that my 'PVC' shower curtain would protect me, while naked in the shower, from microwave radiations from local cell-phone towers.
I am crushed.
SHOWER CURTAINS TOXIC?
With all of this about toxic shower curtains, I am wondering about that New Car Smell... Obvious its from chemicals...whats up with that. Not that I buy new cars..but I've been in them before.
Trade-offs and conspiracy
How long does the PVC toxin-release last? New curtains have a smell, but that usually disappears quickly...so...no toxins after that? Maybe the manufacturers should start rinsing and drying at the factory. It reminds me of the asbestos mess of the '90s. Every 'interest' group was clamouring for the removal of asbestos, but then it turned out that only by breaking and removing it did it particalize and turn toxic! I.E. we burned down the house to save it from burglary.
PVC
Actually the concern expressed by a previous reader in reference to the PVC pipes is valid. The assumption that something bad for you will make you fall over dead is way off target. Bad health can maifest itself in many forms and the linkage between a health problem and a chemical are not always so obvious. I wonder if in the past some Roman scoffed about naysayers concerning his lead pipes?
vinyl shower curtains toxic
We've had these products in our homes for ages and now all of a sudden the environmental groups have declared them to be harmful. If no one has died by now ... I'd say we are pretty safe from those evil little "PVC monsters" lurking in our showers. Those little devils must not have too many powers otherwise they would surely have taken over by now...
And let's not forget that PVC pipe is now being used in plumbing in a very large portion of new construction .... so I guess we are surely doomed!!!!!
What's Next?
The problem is that a lot of products "emitting scores of volatile organic compounds, as well as phthalates, lead, and other potentially harmful materials" into our air, water, and earth. Unfortunately, chemical manufactures have an enormous lobby in Washington and consequently The Union of Concerned Scientists, among others are justifiably concerned that scientific studies are being ignored in favor of big business.
This is not only immoral and unethical but certainly far from "by and for [ALL] the people..."
PVC's comment above is very draconian!
Rasika
Oh, Brave New World, that has little Rasika in it!
The environment
Who cares about the environment anyway? Its just a bunch of dirt, twigs and air. Lets raise taxes on environmentalists so they'll keep their dumb ideas to themselves. Environmental issues are a democrat media hoax invented to make us think that big corporations are evil. They aren't. They are good people who happen to make alot of money because they deserve it. Big business is socially Darwinistic by nature - it make the country stronger by weeding out the unworthy poorer classes which are a drain on our economy and our government, while rewarding the people who keep the country strong by buying things in the free market. God loves big business because it does his work. I'm not rich, but if if my company has has to pay more in taxes, I won't be able to afford our house and two cars (a Hummer and a Ford Expedition) and private school for my kids. My wife and I only make $195,000. We're not sure how we'll pay all our bills with all these tax increases coming up. I pray that we get our tax break soon. We need the relief from oppressive liberal environmentalists, and their allys in the media.
PVC
So, what's next? The PVC pipe used to plumb most of our houses?
