Jun 19 2008 1:38PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |
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I never dreamed that something as innocuous as a shower curtain could stir up controversy. But here it is: an organization called the Center for Health, Environment & Justice recently issued a report that vinyl shower curtains sold at major U.S. retailers emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems.

The Vinyl Institute was quick to counter with its own report stating that vinyl shower curtains are not harmful and that the CHEJ's research is nothing but scare-mongering. And the latter report is pretty scary. It claims that the shower curtains have high concentrations of chemicals that are linked to liver damage as well as damage to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems. Apparently the CHEJ commissioned its study two years ago to figure out what causes that new shower curtain smell. The CHEJ, in case you're wondering, is a national environmental organization founded and led by Lois Gibbs, who successfully crusaded for the relocation of 900 families from a leaking toxic waste dump in Love Canal, N.Y.

My rational self tells me that the Vinyl Institute's position makes sense; there's no actual evidence that the dastardly shower curtains are toxic. But I wonder what the majority of consumers will think when they hear about the CHEJ report. Will they get to hear both sides of the story, or take their next shower fearing the worst?