Perfect, we just got a new one from Wal-Mart. A cheap, plastic, and yes - SMELLY liner.

Same can be said for many products in cars and homes. New carpet can make you pretty ill.

That smell can be pretty noxious. Especially when concentrated within the confines of your shower stall. Good to know I might be shortening my life post-curtain change.

THIS REPORT IS A FEAR TACTIC. I have read this report it is to be honest garbage scientifically. The test detected levels 1000's of times less than hazardous (at which the authors claimed they shut the device down to prevent damage). Also, they only tested ONE yes I will say that again they only tested ONE shower curtain for all chemicals, the rest they just sort of tested hodgepodge. The group who did this test has a goal of getting all PVC shower curtains replaced in Canada with cotton ones. Typical, science is evil nature is inherently perfect crowd.

According to [abcnews.go.com] they only tested ONE shower curtain.

The study found the one curtain which was tested for off-gassing may have released, over the course of the first few hours after it was opened, chemicals that could be toxic if swallowed or inhaled only in quantities thousands of times greater than those found.

Critics said that the testing was not verified by an independent lab and didn't account for real-world conditions such as temperature or humidity in a shower stall.

The study also included estimated results for some of the chemical amounts it reported, and most of the off-gassed chemicals found initially were not detectable after a few days.

In short, it is a piece of shower curtain research that some experts said just doesn't hold water.

I love the smell of shower curtain in the morning. Smells like... whoah, I'm getting dizzy.

This is why I am slowly drinking myself to death. I'm hoping my cirrhosis will work faster at killing me than my shower curtain. :P

That's why I have glass shower doors!

See this is why I don't take showers.

But they smell so goooooooood.

Thanks for the post. I was about to buy a new liner, but now I'll go the extra step and just (try to) clean the one I have. :)

This is complete bull. Just a bunch of people taking advantage of soccer mom's by unscientific scare mongering.

I gave up on plastic curtains and liners - while you can get some cool designs, they're such a pain to clean. Just get a nylon liner and a fabric curtain and then you can throw those in the wash!

@AaronZ: Buy a new one and hang it in your garage for a couple of weeks to let it off-gas.

My favorite part of this story was watching the Fark headlines for it-

First this -

Today's media fear-mongering brought to you courtesty of your shower curtain. Yes, it WILL kill you. EVERYDOY PANIC, RINSE, REPEAT

Then this-

That whole shower curtain scare? It turns out that the researchers only tested one shower curtain. Not one brand, one curtain

Seriously folks, just stop. Stop with the EVERYTHING CAUSES CANCER crap. It's getting ridiculous.

"The claims being made about the dangers of shower curtains are phantasmagorical. It's ridiculous"
~ Consumer Product Safety Commission spokewoman

OK - Consumerist Editors. Do you have a review panel to filter for FUD Junk Science? Is there a button somewhere, that we, as participants, can push, labeled "THIS ARTICLE IS CRAPPOLA - LET EVERYONE KNOW", and if enough people push that button, the article gets a big flashing banner that reads "THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED AS CRAPPOLA" or something like that?

Everyone, everyone, relax, it says the compounds released into the air are ORGANIC! They have to be healthy, right? Technically, they could charge extra for this, if they wanted to follow the grocery model!

I never knew there was an anti-shower curtain movement before. I suppose there's someone opposed to everything in existence, maybe I should start an anti-kitten movement. The cuteness is so distracting, may cause spontaneous "Awwwww"ing.

I'm more worried about the phthalate plasticizers in the curtain.

Just an FYI to the latest article about the shower curtains: [abcnews.go.com]

@ MayorBee - sorry didnt see you already posted it, thanks!

I love the way new shower curtains smell. Is that so wrong?

@chicagocooper: And we all know how reliable and forthright the Consumer Product Safety Commission is.

I've updated the post to include criticism of the study. I wish the LA Times article had provided more criticism; however, the ABC article seems too heavily slanted toward a specific opinion ("this study is wacko") and I don't think it should replace the first article--the truth is somewhere inbetween. For one thing, the CPSC may be an official agency but it's hardly the one and only best source for consumer-related safety news. The LA Times says that all five shower curtains were tested for chemical composition, and one was selected to test for off-gassing. This may not be a comprehensive test, but I think it's overreacting to say that it's FUD or 100% junk science.

The LA Times notes that the EPA corroborates at least some of the study's findings:

The EPA has tested vinyl shower curtains and in 2002 said it had found that many of the same chemicals listed in the center's report.

Lester said the test drew attention to the lack of government regulations or health-based guidelines governing indoor air pollutants.

"The EPA does not regulate indoor air, period," said Barbara Spark, the indoor air program coordinator for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "We have not been given that authority by the Congress."

Definitely nylon cloth for the win.
Higher upfront cost, but return on investment happens the first time you run it through your washing machine.
And, if you happen to brush up against it while showering, you don't get that freaky "ewww! I just touched the icky plastic sheet!" feeling.
And you don't have to worry about your kids getting wrapped up in it and suffocating (not sure if that has ever happened, but willing to bet it has).

further study of marion crane's corpse indicates that it wasn't the multiple stab wounds inflicted by her assailant that killed her...it was the shower curtain that she grabbed as she fell to the floor.

based on this new evidence, norma bates' attorneys are seeking to have his charges dropped from 1st-degree murder to burglary/aggravated assault.

@GodzillaDad: It's all good in the hood. Just don't get me a carcinogenic shower curtain :)

I trust the GOP-run CPSC's claims about household toxins about as much as I trust the GOP-run food agencies to fix poisoned tomatoes or the GOP-run FEMA to fix levee leaks.
Oh, wait: it's all the government's fault. Sorry, my bad.
Didn't know it was toxic (and if it is, it's probably not crushingly so), but it just stinks. So, when I buy a curtain, I string it over the backyard fence for a day to air it out.
Then I sweep up the dead robins, sparrows and children caught mid-stride while playing Kick The Can into a neat pile, reclaim my curtain and merrily skip away.
Sure miss the birds, though.

WARNING: This product contains patterns known to the State of California to cause your friends to maliciously rearrange your medicine cabinet.

But seriously, I can't get curtains at Walmart anymore because they're as agreeable to the eyes as they would be to the stomach ... if I ate shower curtains. That's a much better metric, in my opinion. I'm guessing some dumb punk got nauseous from the PVC smell of their new shower curtain (admittedly offensive) and thought a little haphazard experimentation was in order. Reminds me of my mother in law who convinced an entire class to buy a brand of vitamin three times more expensive because every other brand "looks gross when microwaved."

Oh, hey, environmental eagles: is PVC pretty bad for the environment? Would it be greener to use other materials? Nylon, treated cloth, what's the Green Rank on these? Thanks!

I just bought a new cheapo shower curtain from Wal-Mart. I let it air-out on the back deck for almost the entire day before putting it in the bathroom. Don't know if that helps, but it did not smell nearly as bad as it would have.

but it smells so goooooood!

IMHO, after reading the ABC article, it sounds like the warning bells were sounded too early. Much more testing and studying needs to be done.

However, I think that people should be aware of VOCs and alternatives should be more readily available. These are the same gasses that give house paint that awful smell. As someone with asthma who always winds up with a migraine after being exposed to VOCs, I am truly grateful for these innovations. You can now buy non-VOC paints, and since I do need to replace my shower curtain liner anyhow, I'm going with a non-VOC variety.

Scare tatics suck, but there's nothing wrong with disseminating information to the masses and letting them make their own minds up.

We have always let our new curtain air out for at least a day on the back porch before carrying it in the house. It's called "out-gassing" and I read about it long before this newest report was released. Thanks for the article. There are sources for long lasting non-plastic shower curtains---- more expensive, but I'm going that route next.

Whether or not they are toxic, they sure can be stinky. I hung a new shower curtain in my tiny, poorly ventilated studio apartment once and the smell almost made me vomit, it was so overwhelming. I had to tear it down and throw it out. Wasteful, yes, but the damn thing was trying to kill me!

It's harmful? Dammit! I love the smell of new shower curtain liners.

@jonworld:..almost as good as freshly-washed towels

Mmmmm, smell of fresh shower curtains. Now I know why I like that, probably due to a ''high'' produced ;)

...not to mention the solid shower curtains take to mold very easily, despite anything said on the package, and are frustrating to remove and clean.

How toxic are the nylon cloth ones, I wonder? They are nice, because they can be cleaned with relative ease. I honestly don't think I've ever seen a cotton shower curtain...

I don't care how they conducted the study. It's no big secret that vinyl is nasty stuff, and it doesn't take a scientist to know that stronger, long lasting odors = not good.

Maaaannn... this is why we should have heeemp curtains man, or like shower under waterfalls.

But that OLD shower curtain smell is MOLD, FUNGUS, and BACTERIA.

Mmmm....I love the "new shower curtain smell." I only havv somme nimor dane bramage...

i believe she meant cradle to the grave not cradle to cradle

I like my cloth one better anyway. It lasts longer, is washable, has cool Eiffel Towers on it, and drawings of fashionable women walking Poodles and Basset Hounds. Who needs plastic poodles? Come to think of it, who needs real ones? Bassets are far superior... And they would not want to smell the plastic curtains.
The cloth curtain may have come in a plastic bag wrapped around that card thing, I wonder if those cards are toxic? Maybe we should just make our own shower curtains, just to be on the safe side....If I get out my sewing machine maybe I could go in to business...

The reaction to this article amazes me. Especially on the heels of the ABC story.

Most of the crap we use on the daily are manufactured with chemicals that are harmful to us. Shower curtains, drinking bottles, new cars, the next great acne remover, vitamin supplements, the list goes on and on.

It falls along the same lines of all the pollution that gets strewn around the world. And the crap toys you give your kids. And the food you eat.

This is the culmination of our society. Cheap crap that is giving you cancer. Ever see pile of snow in the winter that looks dirty? Not in the middle of the street; just the odd pile of snow thats on someone's lawn that just looks filthy? Ever wonder what that gunk was? Or what it's doing to your body?

The advances of our society contribute to our demise. Is there anything you can do about it? Maybe if you all cared enough about your bodies and the bodies of your children you may stand up and denounce this cheap crap that is destroying us. The power of the purse.....

Until then, everyone can just stay snarky.

uhm how is this news? like I thought it was common knowledge that vinyl offgasses in ways that are not good for humans. PVC curtains are banned in the EU. Or at the very least in Austria and France.

And of COURSE this "study" makes Walmart the evil killer-shower-curtain-peddling monster. How better to call attention to some bullshit study than to accuse Walmart of ignoring it? Considering the bunk science involved in this story, Walmart's nonresponse actually makes them seem like the only sensible, nonreactionary company in the bunch. Go figure.