FitSugar

PVC Shower Curtains = Bad For Your Health

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:00:00 PDT

Air pollution affects our health, but most of us think about the air outside being polluted - not the air in our homes. There are many silent culprits polluting our air from odorless radon to stinky off-gassing PVCs (polyvinyl chloride). It seems that PVCs are in just about everything from household items like vinyl flooring, vinyl shower curtains, and children’s toys to beauty products like perfumes, nail polish, and lotions. Plus PVC is very difficult to recycle and never breaks down.

Since many "plastic" shower curtains are made from PVC which off-gasses plasticizers that are potential hormone disruptors. Plus, they are easier to throw away than to clean once they become covered with mildew. These plastic/PVC shower curtains never breakdown and they are difficult to recycle. On so many levels, plastic shower curtains are just plain bad news.

A simple way to improve the quality of air in your house is to replace vinyl shower curtains with cloth ones made of organic cotton or hemp. Of course you should use a nylon liner in stead of a plastic one. You can easily wash both a cloth shower curtain and the nylon liner, so they will be around in your bathroom for a long time, rather than clogging up landfills. Plus hemp is naturally mildew resistant and sturdy, there's a reason sailors made ropes out of the fiber. Some hemp curtains are so thick, they don't even require a liner!

The only downside that I can see is that hemp curtains only come in "natural" and "white" - not so fashionable. Since the green revolution has begun, I think we will start seeing fun colors in these shower curtains.

And you, what kind of shower curtain do you have? Let me know in the comments section below.

Top 10 Air Purifying House Plants

CasaSugar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:00:00 PST

Chemicals are fairly prevalent in our homes, but house plants can help! A 1989 study by NASA (get the PDF here) concluded that certain "low-light-requiring houseplants, along with activated carbon plant filters, have demonstrated the potential for improving indoor air quality by removing trace organic pollutants from the air in energy-efficient buildings." The study identified 10 plants that purify indoor air of dangerous toxins, including trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, and benzene.

Luckily, by adding some good-looking plants to our homes that are proven to purify the air, we can greatly reduce our exposure to these scary chemicals. Want to know what the top 10 air purifying plants are?

You Asked: Running in Polluted Air

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:07:37 PST

Hi FitSugar, Has the topic of running and pollution been raised recently? I live in Los Angeles and gave up running in the morning because my lungs would burn afterward and I'd be coughing the rest of the day. I wouldn't have the symptoms when I ran before rush hour, at night, or at the gym. I am a non-smoker, typically running 3-5 miles at an easy pace, 2-3 days per week. Have other readers had the same experience, or do you have some thoughts on avoiding pollution-related lung or heart damage for city runners? -Secondhand Smog Sucks

This is a great question, and one that extends to international proportions. Training in pollution was a huge topic during the Beijing 2008 Olympics due to the city's high level of air pollutants. Individuals noted that running in Beijing was a nightmare on the lungs, and many athletes refused to train there before the games. And though air pollution in Beijing is a whopping five times higher than the World Health Organization's standard, it got people thinking about what harmful effects they might be exposing themselves to when exercising outdoors.

To find out what risks are associated with exercising outdoors,

Even though the United States adheres to strict air quality standards, exercising outdoors may be risky. Air quality varies from city to city, and since athletes breathe with "particular vigor and oomph," this might be especially harmful in cities with poorer air quality, like Los Angeles. As reported by the New York Times:

Dr. Kenneth Rundell, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, said, "Athletes typically take in 10 to 20 times as much air," and thus pollutants, with every breath as sedentary people do.

Despite this news, experts say that you shouldn't stop running outside. The good news is that the risks associated with air pollution are small compared with the damages associated with "cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure." Instead, limit your exposure to air pollutants: avoid running at rush hour and keep as far away from traffic as possible. Also, stay away from any areas where exhaust may be an issue. Because ozone levels are at their lowest when the sun goes down, work out at night or during early morning hours.

And while the short term effects of air pollution fall in line with what you describe - burning lungs or eyes, coughing, and chest tightness - the long-term effects (especially in relation to low-level exposure) are a new area of study with spotty data. The EPA does warn that constant exposure to "dust, fuel combustion, power plants, and diesel buses and trucks" can cause significant health problems like chronic bronchitis or asthma.

To be extra safe, check your local air quality forecast before heading out. If air quality is poor, make that a day to exercise indoors. Keep in mind that when exercising outdoors you breathe in a lot more pollutants than otherwise so consider keeping workouts inside if air quality is ranked as "unhealthy for sensitive groups," and most definitely if it falls below this level.