Have you ever thought about what your shower curtain is made of?

Did you ever take a whiff of a new vinyl shower curtain? (I admittedly used to like that smell – odd I know.)

Well,  I now know that “new” fragrance is a result of the off-gassing from  polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC.) PVC can contain toxic chemical additives like DEHP. Health experts report that exposure to these chemicals should be limited.  This study found that high levels of DEHP are contained in shower curtains, and have been linked to asthma and brain development issues for children.

Next time you need to replace your shower curtain skip the vinyl and go for linen,  cotton, bamboo or hemp.

Photo: bedbathstore

array(4) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#8416 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(3012)
    ["name"]=>
    string(8) "bathroom"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(8) "bathroom"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(3026)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(1)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [1]=>
  object(WP_Term)#9138 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(406)
    ["name"]=>
    string(4) "home"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(4) "home"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(409)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(25)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [2]=>
  object(WP_Term)#9129 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(1127)
    ["name"]=>
    string(3) "PVC"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(3) "pvc"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(1136)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(2)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [3]=>
  object(WP_Term)#8461 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(1910)
    ["name"]=>
    string(14) "shower curtain"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(14) "shower-curtain"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(1920)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(1)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Beth is a Health and Wellness expert who believes sustainability goes hand-in-hand with self care. She’s the girl whipping up kombucha cocktails at parties, and extolling the benefits of canning vegetables to anyone who will listen. View all posts by Beth Funari