That familiar smell from opening a new shower curtain could be hazardous to your health. And

that’s why a consumer group is urging retailers to stop selling PVC shower curtains.

The Center for Health, Environment & Justice has just published “Volatile Vinyl: The New Shower Curtain’s Chemical Smell”, which claims more than 100 chemicals are released into the air when consumers open the packages containing the curtains. The CHEJ is also calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall the curtains from store shelves.

The CHEJ says it discovered the hazards in a study of shower curtains made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. The curtains reportedly contain many harmful chemicals including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phthalates and organotins. The study found that exposure to the chemicals creates health problems such as respiratory irritation, central nervous system, liver and kidney damage, nausea, headaches and loss of coordination.

The CHEJ purchased PVC shower curtains at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart to be used as samples for the testing.

For more information: www.chej.org/showercurtainreport