Toxins in vinyl shower curtains may pose risks

Tag : Plain Curtains

Vinyl shower curtains sold at major U.S. retailers emit toxicchemicals that have been linked to serious health problems,according to a report released yesterday by a nationalenvironmental organization.
The curtains, sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target andWal-Mart, among other major retailers, contained highconcentrations of chemicals that are linked to liver damage as wellas damage to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductivesystems, said researchers for the Virginia-based Center for Health,Environment & Justice.
The organization commissioned the study about two years ago todetermine what caused that "new shower curtain smell" familiar tomost consumers.
"This smell can make you feel sick, give you a headache, make youfeel nauseous or (cause) other health effects," said MichaelSchade, a co-author of the report.
Researchers tested the chemical composition of five unopenedpolyvinyl chloride, or PVC, plastic shower curtains purchased fromBed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart. One of thesecurtains was then tested to determine the chemicals it releasedinto the air.
The study found that these shower curtains contained highconcentrations of phthalates, which have been linked toreproductive effects, and varying concentrations of organotins,which are compounds based on tin and hydrocarbons. One of thecurtains tested released measurable quantities of as many as 108volatile organic compounds into the air, some of which persistedfor nearly a month.
Seven of these chemicals, which include toluene, ethylbenzene,phenol, methyl isobutyl ketone, xylene, acetophenone and cumene,have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency ashazardous air pollutants, said Stephen Lester, the Center forHealth, Environment & Justice's science director and a co-author ofthe report.
Potential health effects included developmental damage and harm tothe liver and the central nervous, respiratory and reproductivesystems.
Phthalates and organotins, which are not chemically bonded to theshower curtain, are often added to soften or otherwise enhance thecurtain; they more easily evaporate into the air or cling tohousehold dust, Lester said. So do volatile organic chemicals,Lester said.
Vinyl chloride, which is a major building block of PVC, is a knownhuman carcinogen that causes liver cancer, Lester said.
Representatives of the companies marketing the shower curtains werenot immediately available for comment yesterday.
Little information on toxicity is available for 86 of the 108chemicals detected in the curtains, Lester said.
"Nobody really looked to see what these chemicals were or whetherthey were toxic, and what risk they posed," Lester said.
The tests did not replicate the heat and humidity in shower use,conditions that researchers believe would likely increase theconcentration of released chemicals, according to the report.
The EPA has tested vinyl shower curtains, and in 2002 said that ithad found many of the same chemicals were released.

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