Expert: Imran R. - 1/24/2007

Question
Dear Imran,

Thank you in advance for your time and advice.  I have become aware of many toxins in the bathroom and have replaced my soap and toothpaste with a natural product named "Miracle II."  It seems to have improved my dental health considerably -- and my skin seems to be much less greasy yet smoother and better moisturized.

Among the changes I am considering is the following; I am having trouble with this decision:  Vinyl shower curtains, some say, release harmful chemicals.  These chemicals are said to be the plasticizers used to soften the vinyl.  I am inclined to believe this because my head spins and I feel light-headed whenever I catch the smell of a new shower curtain.  Yet, I wonder if they continue to give off these toxins after they have been used awhile.

In addition, the only good alternative I know of seems to be cotton shower curtains.  I am afraid that these will bring their own toxin in the form of mold -- it seems easy to clean mold off vinyl curtains, but I imagine mold would grow rapidly in cotton curtains.

Do you think I should replace my vinyl curtain with a cotton one, or is this a waste of my time and money?

Much thanks,

John

Answer
Dear John,

Thank you for your question.

I have actually used both vinyl and cotton curtains.
My preference is cotton.

The vinyl ones do give off a strong scent when they are new, this could be a combination of chemicals including formaldehyde, but the scent dissipates after several showers as the vinyl is being subjected to heat. This would indicate toxins running off. However it seems the same with cotton but to a lesser degree.

I would say the best teacher here would be your own body. Listen to your body.

I tend to prefer the cotton as in my experience they are easier to adjust to as compared to vinyl.

I do not know of any organic/natural shower curtains available, however i have found a way of energizing shower water, which is beneficial to the skin and may very well help protect the body against any toxins given off by the shower curtains. It does seem to make a difference.

We use the 'energy strips' found at this website:   www.safespace.net.tf
One wrapped round the incoming water supply pipe in the basement of one's home,(this affects all water outlets to a degree) and one more wrapped round the base of the actual shower head outlet pipe in the bathroom. This one is wrapped with plastic to keep it waterproof. As far as i know the energy strips are encoded and sealed, so they permanently give off
a field of energy which then interacts with whatever it is wrapped around. So we have never needed to buy new ones.

Hope this is helpful.

Best wishes,

Imran