Vinyl shower curtains emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, according to a report released Thursday by a national environmental organization.
The curtains, sold by major retailers, contained high concentrations of chemicals that are linked to liver damage as well as damage to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems, said researchers for the Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment & Justice.
The organization commissioned the study about two years ago to determine what caused that “new shower-curtain smell” familiar to most consumers.
“This smell can make you feel sick, give you a headache, make you feel nauseous or (cause) other health effects,” said Michael Schade, a co-author of the report.
Composition analyzed
Researchers tested the chemical composition of five unopened polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, plastic shower curtains purchased from Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart. One of these curtains was then tested to determine the chemicals it released into the air.
The study found that these shower curtains contained high concentrations of phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive effects, and varying concentrations of organotins, which are compounds based on tin and hydrocarbons.
One of the curtains tested released measurable quantities of as many as 108 volatile organic compounds into the air, some of which persisted for nearly a month.
Seven of these chemicals have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants.
Potential health effects included developmental damage and harm to the liver and the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems.
Phthalates and organotins, which are not chemically bonded to the shower curtain, are often added to soften or otherwise enhance the curtain; they more easily evaporate into the air or cling to household dust, said Stephen Lester, the center’s science director and a co-author of the report. So do volatile organic chemicals, Lester said.
Vinyl chloride, which is a major building block of PVC, is a known human carcinogen that causes liver cancer, Lester said.
Little information on toxicity is available for 86 of the 108 chemicals detected in the curtains, Lester said.
Representatives of the companies marketing the shower curtains were not immediately available for comment Thursday.
EPA ran tests in 2002
The tests did not replicate the heat and humidity in shower use, conditions that researchers believe would likely increase the concentration of released chemicals, according to the report.
The EPA has tested vinyl shower curtains and in 2002 said that it had found that many of the same chemicals were released.
Lester said the test draws attention to the lack of government regulations or health-based guidelines governing indoor air pollutants.
Schade recommended consumers avoid buying PVC products, which often can be found in baby toys and building products.
