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Shower curtains could mean curtains for you, says watchdog group


BY JORDAN LITE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, June 12th 2008, 8:30 AM
Plastic shower curtains and liners sold at big-box retailers release chemicals associated with cancer, liver and nervous system damage, an environmental group contends.
The Center for Health, Environment and Justice wants the feds to recall and ban all polyvinyl chloride bath curtains and liners.
"The familiar 'new curtain smell' may be toxic to your health," said Mike Schade, the center's PVC campaign coordinator. "It's really surprising that retailers are manufacturing products that contain and release harmful chemicals in our homes."
The Washington, D.C.-based group tested five house-brand curtains and liners sold by Wal-Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, K-Mart and Sears.
All contained phthalates, chemicals that make plastic soft, and metals.
One curtain made by Wal-Mart expelled high levels of gases called volatile organic compounds for the first three days after it was opened.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman did not comment by press time, and a spokesman for Sears and K-Mart didn't return calls. Bed Bath & Beyond said it sells PVC-free alternatives, as does Target, which said it was reducing the number of PVC curtains and liners in its inventory.
Consumers have complained on company Web sites about headaches and nausea after opening the items.
But critics said the study was flawed and tested too few products to be conclusive.
No studies have connected the products to illnesses in consumers. Exposure to high levels of chemicals in PVC-manufacturing plants and in animal tests has been associated with increased disease risk.
"There's no justification whatsoever for the agency to take any kind of action," said Julie Vallese, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "The claims being made about the dangers of shower curtains are phantasmagorical. It's ridiculous."
The environmental group said consumers should buy organic cotton products and avoid those with a "3" inside the recycling symbol, or that say "vinyl," "PVC" or are unlabeled.
A New York pediatrician specializing in environmental exposure said consumers needn't be alarmed.
Airing out a plastic curtain for a week before hanging it up should bring volatile organic compounds down to acceptable levels.
"If you don't eat the shower curtain, it probably doesn't pose a real risk, but if there's no ventilation you'll be exposed," said Dr. Joel Forman, an associate professor of community and preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
"If you have one that's more than a month old, the levels are likely quite low," Forman said. "My year-old one, I'm more worried about the mold."