ARLINGTON, Va., June 12, 2008 – Decades of research and use prove that shower curtains made of vinyl are safe, effective and deserve their popularity, the Vinyl Institute said this morning.
The Institute responded to a report released today that attempts to manipulate retailer and public fears over this simple, popular and trusted household item.
The report lists substances in vinyl shower curtains. To a doctor or scientist, the report shows that vinyl shower curtains are not much different from other familiar consumer goods. Even foods can contain some of the chemicals listed in the report.
To a consumer or retailer, however, the report is carefully written to provoke anxiety over whether shower curtains are harmful – without citing any evidence of actual harm.
Greg Bocchi, president of the Vinyl Institute, said, “Shower curtains are not harmful. This report is simple scare-mongering. It is a blatant attempt by a well-known pressure group to manipulate consumers and retailers into thinking that shower curtains pose a danger, when they don’t. It offers no evidence of actual harm.”
Vinyl shower curtains are tough, easy to clean, and can be colored and patterned in endless ways, which have made them popular bathroom accessories for decades. Vinyl products are made from a polymer, polyvinyl chloride -- an odorless powder -- to which ingredients are added that will give the desired end-product properties. The process is a bit like making pasta or baked goods, starting with flour, adding other ingredients, and heating and molding the mix. Vinyl is the material of choice for such important products as flexible blood bags and medical tubing, rigid pipe for drinking water and sewage removal, protective insulation on electrical wire, and tamper-resistant packaging, among others.
New shower curtain smells come from the ingredients added to make the product, but, as with many products that have initial odors, they soon fade away. People with sensitivities to new product smells usually find that airing a shower curtain out for a few days will eliminate the problem.
“People trust and like to use vinyl,” Bocchi said. “We want them to know they can continue to have confidence in these products, which have an outstanding safety record.”
“We hope this report isn’t taken seriously. The vinyl industry, like others, stands by the safety of our products, and, at the same time, the industry is constantly developing new product formulations that accommodate changing consumers’ needs and desires."
The Vinyl Institute represents the nation’s leading manufacturers involved in the production of vinyl plastic.
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Real Bathroom Issues
Statistics on risks associated with bathrooms shows that shower curtains do not even rank.
Some recent reports:
A 2006 University of Michigan Health System survey found that one third of older adults had difficulty climbing in or out of the shower or tub, and thus were at risk for injury.
Statement from a 2005 National Safety Council report :
Of all the [unintentional injury] risks, falls are the leading cause of unintentional death among people 65 and older, approaching 11,000 deaths a year. Falls are the third leading cause of death for all ages, totaling 18,822 last year. There were 1.8 million emergency room visits and more than 420,000 hospital admissions of adults 65 years old and older as a result of falls according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
An estimated one in three adults 65 years old and older experience a fall each year. Hip fractures, primarily the result of falls, account for some 300,000 hospitalizations each year and the direct care costs of osteoporotic fractures are some $18 billion each year. About 20 percent of people who suffer a hip fracture will need nursing home care within a year, and 20 percent will die within a year of suffering the fracture. Nearly half of those who survive a hip fracture never regain full mobility, nor their former quality of life.
Contact: Allen Blakey at 703-741-5666 (office) or 703-622-3886 (cell)