Ever smelled a new shower curtain? According to the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, a Virginia-based advocacy group, that smell is toxic:
Vinyl shower curtains release over 100 toxic chemicals into the air in people's bathrooms, including known carcinogens and reproductive toxins, according to a new report calling for the ban of Polyvinyl chloride in bath curtains and liners.
The laboratory tests of five new PVC shower curtains, released Thursday, found 108 different volatile organic compounds were released
into the air over a 28-day period, including off-gassing above the recommended level in the United States for seven days.These compounds can cause respiratory irritation, headaches, nausea and damage to the liver, kidney and the central nervous system. Some VOCs are also suspected or known to cause cancer in humans.
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=91e2a62a-fa6a-4f1a-85bb-f6d58357d713
Also, I freakin loved that smell.
Wait... not really significantly dangerous after all. Good one, fear-mongers, almost got us.
Doesn't bother me - I have neither a new car or a new shower curtain!
This reminds of our hose discovery. We just bought a new garden hose and on the package it says "HOSE CONTAINS LEAD - DO NOT DRINK FROM HOSE - WASH HANDS AFTER USE!" (This is all hidden by the actual hose when you buy it.)
So apparently almost all garden hoses have lead in them. Isn't that weird?
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=5057141
I'm skeptical because PVC has been used for so long and is so ubiquitous. I'm not saying I'd be comfortable living in a house built out of the stuff, but I think this is absolutely a panic story. My local news ran this story as if you had these shower curtains, better make sure you have your funeral plans all set.
naturalnews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/022548.html
lolol
did anyone really think that smell was beneficial to our health? anything that smells like chemicals USUALLY isn't recommended to be huffed.
surprised? no.
@ peaches: i guess that's why i was always told not to drink out of the hose..
Everyone who is at least 26 years old nod and smile because you got those purple and while ditto papers and YOU sniffed them. You also probably avoided taking the one the teacher's licked finger touched.:)