Chemicals in Shower Curtains……You Know What This Means
June 13, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Today’s LA Times informs us that “Vinyl shower curtains sold at major retailers across the country emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, according to a report released today by a national environmental organization.” (The organization being the Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment & Justice.)
The study found that the 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, which include toluene, ethylbenzene, phenol, methyl isobutyl ketone, xylene, acetophenone and cumene, have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous air pollutants, said Stephen Lester, the center’s science director and a coauthor of the report.
Potential health effects include developmental damage and harm to the liver and the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems, according to the report.
Those chemicals cause that “new shower curtain smell”—-and I think I smell a new culprit for causing autism or “neurological damage.” Back to putting up those heavy sliding doors for a shower stall, or to baths, and mopping up water from the floor.
Phthalates have been on the ropes for quite awhile now. They’re the reason we’re not supposed to paint our nails when we’re pregnant. I check products for whether or not they have phthalates in them (there are also Websites that maintain lists), and if they do, I don’t use them–if possible. Of course, I also check to see if they have lavender oil or tea tree oil for the same reason.
If you’d like to scare the heck out of yourself, check out ourstolenfuture’s Website–it’s a dot org–and search on phthalates. Or…just read its latest news. This is my research field. If you learn too much about it, you just want to curl up into a ball and stop bathing.
I still say watch for PBDEs, the flame retardants. Watch for information on these and neurological effects.
Regan can likely address this better, but I would expect that most of those compounds you list would volatilize over a few weeks of use, so if you’ve got an old shower curtain you’ve been using for awhile, it’s probably not as much of a toxic nightmare.
Back to putting up those heavy sliding doors for a shower stall, or to baths, and mopping up water from the floor.–Kristina darling, clearly I have to take you eco-shopping when you are in California. Just think — hemp shower curtains.
But didn’t we get rid of the glass when too many drunk people fell through them and sliced themselves to bits?
And doesn’t that smell remind you of every new toy we had in the 70s especially the Barbie Dream House?
We could invest is those clingy ones at hotels which don’t seem to be plastic.
I just saw this on the news. Ugh. Danger lurks everywhere.
I bet the shower curtain folks are feeling somewhat picked on since phthalates (and PBDEs) are almost ubiquitous. Emily posted that site, but in short, if it’s plastic and flexible, odds are there’s a phthalate involved. If it smells–then there is active volatilization occurring (shower curtain, nail polish, “new car smell”, etc.) One concern is that these volatile components can leach from a container into the product it holds (we used to have to worry about this for some analyses we did and had to prep the containers by multiple washing procedures until they tested “clean”).
I’ve gotten some inflatable “kid’s meal” toys that reeked so badly of plasticizers and volatiles that I had to pull over to the side of the road to get them out of the car.
From what I know, if that curtain has already been around for a long time and you don’t smell anything anymore, it’s not particularly hazardous.
If you must have a plastic shower curtain and don’t have an alternative, open that guy outside and let it de-gas for a couple of weeks and then commercially wash it before hanging. If you’re freaked out, get a nylon, canvas or hemp curtain; just wash it often so it doesn’t grow mold.
I love glass.
@Emily,
I will probably be sorry to ask, but what’s the dirt on lavender oil? I did some brief googling (no PhD fo me, apparently) and all I could find is that it is muscle relaxant and anticoagulant…
Tara, if you go to wikipedia’s entry for tea tree oil, you’ll find a summary of the case study. I was sort of kidding–but then again, I wasn’t. Given how much we’re bombarded daily with endocrine-active compounds, I try to limit exposures wherever I can, even if they’re “just” “weakly” active in vitro.
Regan, I’m laughing because I do the same thing with those toys. If it smells like a shower curtain, I toss it…even if it’s something just opened for Christmas from Grandma, who seems to have a particular predilection for phthalates and toys made in China. Yikes.
Charlie’s not into any toys of a plastic kind anymore but the memory of that smell!
You are much better off getting the right skin bacteria and then not using the shower.
Essentially all of the endocrine disrupting chemicals are active in pathways where NO is inside the feedback loop that the endocrine disrupting compound is affecting. A change in the NO level acts as an endocrine disrupter too. For example estrogen activates the estrogen receptor which activates nitric oxide synthase which makes NO which inhibits the enzyme that makes estrogen. Change the NO level and you change the setpoint of the feedback loop. Since NO is already in the feedback loop, there is no threshold for a change in the NO level to change the setpoint of that feedback loop. The same goes for endocrine disrupters (as Emily pointed out and demonstrated in her research), if the compound is in a feedback loop, there is no threshold for a changed activity changing the setpoint of the feedback loop.
There is a difference, most endocrine disrupting chemicals do have much lower affinities than the endogenous endocrine signaling molecules and are also present at much lower concentrations. NO levels are much more easily disrupted.
Wow! Scary!
bodyburden.org for more info on the chemical problem we’re all facing.
VOC’s are a serious indoor air quality issue. Our immune system and elimination organs can only deal with so much toxins before we become sensitive or fall ill in one way or another. Some see it as a joke but the wise take note and do what they can to limit their exposure to this chemical and toxin assault. Doing so will improve the health and symptoms of those who already suffer from a weakened immune system or condition. Bravo for posting this info! Mike
@ Tara
I read somewhere that lavender & tea tree oil can cause breast growth in pubescent boys.
We have a linen shower curtain from Sears. I stopped reading LA Times long ago and subscribe to the Los Angeles Daily News.
I’ll have to tell my sister. She’s had to have a see-through plastic shower curtain ever since seeing the movie Psycho. Linen is not an option.
While it’s good that we don’t have “refrigerator mother” guilt anymore,I feel it’s been replaced by all kinds of new guilt. Yikes.
Who’s making a joke of it?
I sometimes wonder if those campaigning against vaccines think about what might be in plastic bottles of drinking water, or that the essential oils at the health food store might have some uncool chemical properties of their own? It doesn’t necessarily compare to that from all the modern vinyls we are surrounded with or the additional VOC exposure because we are so good at weatherizing and sealing our homes compared to the drafty ones of the past, and there are plenty of variables around dosage, application, age, etc., etc.–but it’s an illusion that “natural” is always “green”.
Here’s that paper on the lavender oils from the NEJM.
Henley, D.V., Lipson, N., Korach, K.S., Bloch, C.A. (2007). Prepubertal gynecomastia linked to lavender oil. NEJM, 356, 47-485.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/356/5/479
It’ll be a bit of a joke if “shower curtains” becomes the next big “culprit” for “what causes autism.”
Bigger problem for us is that Charlie likes to keep the curtain open when showering—-sometimes it seems it would be as well not to have it.
@Emily, Regan,
thanks for study links. I am far from being naive about “natural” being “green”, but this was definitely news to me…
My message isn’t directly regarding toxic shower curtains. It is how the EPA may be unduly influenced by the chemical lobby and therefore lax in its regulations protecting the environment.
EPA, Chemical Manufacturers Assn, toluene, Public Health.
My writing is on the very strong possibility, the US environmental protection agency may be influenced by outside forces that make it virtually impossible for it to be totally objective. This includes men in top positions with ties to the Chemical Manufacturers Association. The name is now American Chemistry Council. One of its subgroups is the American Solvent Council. The names and positions of these men are James Connaughton, chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality and Jeffry Holmstead EPA’s director of Air and Radiation. Both men are directly associated with the American Chemical Council, formerly the Chemical Manufacturers Assn. The official lobbying group for chemical companies.
Several of his oncologists believe my husband’s myelofibrosis and possibly his acute myeloid leukemia subtype M7 was caused by a certain substance. This substance was toluene.. Jerry was in contact with this when he was employed in a dry cleaners for seven years. He worked with this chemical weekly. It is a solvent and a hydrocarbon. According to the Oxford American Dictionary toluene is a derivative of benzene.
There are seven subtypes of acute myeloid leukemia. Suffice to say for the purpose of my article M7 is the type caused by scarring of the bone marrow, aka myelofibrosis. Myelofibrosis is considered by the medical profession as a myeloproliferative disease. The definition of myeloproliferative is as follows: Proliferation of cells in the bone marrow. These cells include white blood cells, red blood cells (corpuscles) and platelets. Myelo is the medical term for bone marrow.
I noticed, within days, in my search for toluene as a carcinogen one glaring note. Most of the medical sites claimed the chemical did cause cancer. It was a factor in the blood cancers. The EPA a US govt. agency said it wasn’t carcinogenic. It did state it was a probable human carcinogen. However it stopped from stating it caused cancer. In other words it went, metaphorically speaking, getting engaged, planning the entire wedding and then getting cold feet and calling the marriage off.
The chemical is known scientifically as methylbenzene. Benzene is dealkylation of toluene. Dealkylation is when are more than one alkyl group is substituted for atoms of hydrogen. The relationship to toluene is this. Toluene is an alkyl group bound to a benzene ring. I find it at the very
least intriguing that benzene and toluene are so closely tied together. The two are definitely related. Please note benzene is definitely linked with causing leukemia. Its suspected to be a causative factor in Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma and Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. These are cancers of components of the bone marrow. I can hardly believe its a mere coincidence toluene is so closely linked to benzene. Toluene is an analogous compound to benzene. In fact it is derived from Benzene. Hydrodealkylation turns toluene to benzene. Source. http://www.answers.com hydrodealkylation The link to toluene and cancer been known for 20years
Toluene is used in the paint industry in paint thinners, Dry Cleaning companies, adhesive manufacturing, as a solvent in many industries, machinery manufacturing and repair, insecticides, pharmacueticals, printing, wood staining and varnishes. Source http://www.scorecard.org. Scorecard is an unbiased source on information on polluting chemicals.
Medical sites such as http://www.medscape.com, webmd.com, emedicine.com claims it does cause leukemia. US Government sites for the most part says it doesn’t. I wonder if the fact that two of the officials of the EPA are with major connections of the Chemical Manufacturers Association. The Chemical Manufacturers Association are one of the biggest contributors to George W. Bush’s presidency. I don’t believe this is merely coincidence. The CMA defends some of the worst polluters in the US. Or if you’re Jungian, synchronicity either for that matter.
Maybe this doesn’t exactly prove the EPA is being influenced by the CMA. However at the very least it certainly doesn’t look Kosher either. No govt. agency of what ever nation should be composed of people with any conflict of interest of what ever kind.
Here are some links to medical sites I found by doing a search on toluene and cancer using http://www.medscape.com This is a health search engine used by health care professionals. Health consumers can use it too. It uses http://www.medscape.com, http://www.emedicine.com, http://www.medline.com. Everyone of them are professional medical resources.
http://www.emedicine.com/med/TOPIC78.HTM This is on myelofibrosis. This is a condition that causes scarring of the bone marrow. It can be linked to acute myeloid leukemia. Its the subtype M7 type. http://www.emedicine.com/ped/TOPIC1301.HTM Topic AML.
http://www.virtualcancercentre.com says certain organic chemicals such as benzene and toluene are linked to AML. Each of these links definitely state there is a direct link between toluene and acute myeloid leukemia and myelofibrosis. Each of these links are true medical sites.
do know the CMA, in 1998, petitioned the EPA (environmental protection agency) to declare toluene as not being a volatile organic compound. This ruling still stands. The truth is it most certainly is. One way of knowing if any substance is volatile is to note an odor. Toluene definitely smells. Its the exact same substance used in glue, nail polish, nail polish remover. Each of these items exhibits a somewhat strong, sweet odor. In fact it was this aromatic quality that led to glue sniffing to get high. This glue contains toluene.
Toluene definitely is odoriferous. Howeever its perfume next t when the EPA says something is non-carcinogenic when medical professionals claim it is. I wonder how many people’s health is severely damaged because of this discrepancy? Millions of females from lets say, twelve to whenever paint their nails, practically daily. How many are exposed to toluene. I would venture to say millions, if not tens of
adparams.getadspec(’c_billboard1′); I discovered that the secretary of the interior under the George W. Bush administration had direct connections with the Chemical Nanufacturers Association. My suspicion is the CMA is influencing the EPA to the detriment of the health of the US population.
Maybe I’m wrong. Yet when I see some of the top level people of the Bush presidency are connected with an organization with much to gain with lax environmental rulings I became rather suspicious. This is especially so when they just happen to be major contributors to G.W. Bush. I find it quite difficult believe its merely coincidental. On the contrary I think its no accident that the EPA isn’t as reliable , trustworthy as it should be.
My husband may have been a victim of the CMA influence of the EPA. I wonder how many others were victimized too. Believing they were dealing with non carcinogens when in reality they were. I wonder too, how many other carcinogens or for that matter, chemicals US citizens are in the dark because of undue influence by professional groups with agendas influencing the EPA?
One may say, well isn’t everything composed of chemicals. Yes, of course this is true. However these are firms that deal exclusively in the chemicals themselves. It certainly seems to me that any organization that holds an agenda that prevents any US government agency not totally objective should be disallowed to be an influence. This includes anybody with any connections with such organizations. The EPA and every other US govt. organization should not be tainted. People’s health and trust is at stake
Despite Additive Ban, Some Parents Voice Worry
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 2, 2008; Page A05
“…Congress this week approved a ban on a family of chemicals widely used in soft plastic toys and other baby products…The European Union has banned them [phthalates] since 1999. California was the first state to approve a ban; it takes effect in January. Lawmakers in Washington state and Vermont have followed suit.
The federal ban will take effect six months after President Bush signs it, which he is expected to do in the next several weeks. That means it would not be in place until after the holiday season. Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, and Toys R Us, the largest toy seller, have said that by January their shelves will be free of children’s products containing BPA and phthalates. ..”
@ Regan; I would be worried abot the FLUORIDE that is put in th pws. We know that mand made fluoride has LEAD and ARSENIC in it and we know that LEAD is very bad for the Brain and the ARSENIC is very bad for the stomach and can make you very sick. So I would less worried about the shower curtains.
@ Regan; Why don” more people get on the CDC for lettig or telling the pws to put the FLUORIDE into the water.
Donald, I think I *get* your point of view and particular area of interest.
The report of the phthalate ban was to let people know that this recent legislation has been passed and its status, since phthalates was one topic of the post.
FWIW, because I have almost no interest in getting into an interminable discussion about fluoride again…I was pregnant and my first daughter was born in a region which had fluoridated water. Not diagnosed with autism.
I was pregnant and my second daughter was born in a state which does not have, and has not had fluoridated water–neither naturally nor artificially added. Diagnosed with autism.
My particular and active interest is my daughter, the individual, and what I need to do to teach her. To also actively pursue every personal etiology theory of autism is a project that would require time that I do not have, nor wish to allocate.
Regan was it you or someone else that was about to have there third child? If it was you then you know that the CDC said not to give your new born FLUORIDATED for about the first year.Not for drinking or in formula or in any thing else.
If anyone is interested in some of the science background and chatter around chemicals in polycarbonate plastics (a hard plastic–CDs, DVDs, nalgene-type bottles, other consumer goods), in particular bisphenol-A (BPA), there is an interesting article summing up some of the issues in the September 2008, Scientific American, “Safety Dance over Plastic”, p. 108-111.
One point of speculation that I found interesting in the article is that endocrine disruptors and hormone-mimics, such as BPA are suggested as an exception to the accepted toxicology maxim of “dose makes the poison”, because of a speculated paradox where it is lower doses, not higher, which may demonstrate effects. I’m hedging the language because the articles points out is that there is considerable discussion of scientific controversy on matters of reproducibility of results, particular models’ relevancy to humans, and that research in this area is a work-in-progress.