A recent article in the Los Angeles Times about the toxic effects shower curtains have on consumers health, said vinyl shower curtains sold at major retailers emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to liver damage, as well damage to the nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems, reported by the Los Angeles Times Staff Wrighter Tami Abdollah, June 13, WWW.latimes.com. The findings are a result of a study conducted by the Falls Church, Va.-based Center for Health, Environment and Justice to determine what caused that "new shower curtain smell" Abdollah reported. Researchers tested the chemical composition of five unopened polyvinyl; chloride, or PVC, plastic shower curtains bought from major retailers according to the article. "One of the curtains tested released measurable quantities of as many as 108 volatile organic compounds into the air, some of which persisted for nearly a month," Abdollah stated.