Okay, I couldn’t resist the making the connection of the bathroom and smells. There’s a lot of odiferous stimulation going that goes on in the “loo”. Besides the obvious there are also sprays, perfumes, cleaners, mold, dirty clothes, etc, etc. One of the smells that used to bother me quite a bit, until we quit using them, is those plastic shower curtains. Think about that strong, acrid smell when you first open up most of those plastic shower curtains. There is some serious off-gassing of VOC’s going on there and it’s never good for your health. I’ve written about VOC’s in other articles so I won’t repeat myself. Not only are these items generally made of PVC, but they are often treated with a number of chemicals to reduce mold and bacterial buildup. A June 2008 report by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, (a non-profit environmental organization) noted a study that found that over seven days, one new PVC shower curtain will release VOC’s that exceed the guidelines for indoor air quality established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
This is an easy one to take care of… Just don’t buy the shower curtains and liners made with PVC’s. There is a more information about volatile vinyl as well as a link to a list of PVC and PVC-free shower curtains at major retailers at this site: Center for Health, Environment & Justice
Unfortunately, prices for alternative products can still be a bit high. They are sure to come down with more and more acceptance, but in the meantime, it’s easy to pick the cheap and nasty one over the unreasonable one. Most people would just say open the window! We just have to think about the long term effects on our health and not the short term effect on the pocketbook.
There is a wealth of information available on the net. An article on “thedailygreen” blog is a good place to start. thedailygreen
What are you using as an alternative? Please post a comment!
