You know that icky plastic smell that fills the bathroom when you get a new shower curtain liner or basic curtain? That’s PVC. Polyvinyl chloride or PVC is very hard to recycle and most products made with bunches of it end up in the landfills. However, finding a recycling center to take PVC products off your hands should be the least of your concerns.
PVC leeches like mad from products containing it. The soil and water near factories who make this stuff are terribly polluted, but it’s further reaching then this. If your child chews on a toy with PVC phthalates can jump right into in his system. If you have a shower curtain made with PVC, it’s in your home. PVC contains many more harmful chemicals then phthalates though including lead, cadmium, and/or organotins, which can be toxic to your health.
Dioxins are another baddie of PVC; given off when you make or burn PVC products. Dioxins are an environmental pollutant linked to skin lesions, such as chloracne and patchy darkening of the skin, and altered liver function. Long-term exposure is linked to impairment of the immune system, the developing nervous system, the endocrine system and reproductive functions. Fun!
Worse, PVC is very hard to escape. It’s in all sorts of products you use each day. That’s why starting with your shower curtain is a good plan. It’s easy and a good way to NOT support PVC products.
Find a PVC free shower curtain:
- Look for labels that say PVC free. Lots of stores are phasing PVC out.
- Look for naturally made shower curtains of hemp, organic cotton and so on.
- Ikea carries PVC shower free curtains as does…
- Pristine Planet
- Greenfeet
Each little green step you take adds up to a whole bunch of green living perks. Even something as small as your choice of a shower curtain can make a difference. With all the