What is the best shower curtain liner material?

Plastic shower curtain liners are notoriously toxic, but natural shower curtain liners are susceptible to mold and mildew when they get wet, which is toxic in itself. Here’s what I recommend:

• If your bathroom has good ventilation, and you are up for regular maintenance, choose a plastic-free shower curtain liner made of organic fabric. Either coat it in wax to make it waterproof, or wash it weekly.

• If your bathroom has good ventilation, and you do not want to wax, choose a hemp fabric, which dries faster than cotton or linen. Wash weekly.

• If your bathroom has OK or bad ventilation, and you’re up for weekly washes, choose an OEKO TEX shower curtain liner made with certified polyester, because it is resistant to water, mold, and mildew.

• Finally, if your bathroom has OK or bad ventilation, or you know you’re not up for maintenance, choose a PEVA or EVA liner that doesn’t off-gas. While these are less healthy than natural fabrics or polyester, they are a relatively low-touch surface, and healthier than PVC or a moldy curtain.

Can you use a shower curtain without a liner?

I only recommend it if it’s waterproof, to reduce your exposure to mold, mildew, and bacteria. If your bathroom has great ventilation and air flow and you are able to wash frequently, a non-waterproof shower curtain may be just fine for you.

What is PEVA?

PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate), also known as EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), is a polymer-based fabric. That means it comes from petroleum, and is made in a factory. It is very similar to polyester in some ways — it is a long, repeating chain of polymer molecules that make a soft, flexible fabric.

Is PEVA safe? Is PEVA toxic?

It falls somewhere in the middle. PEVA was not found to be cancerous or have other effects on human health by various agencies including the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), OSHA, or National Toxicology Program (NTP). On the other hand, one study done in 2014 by Tingzhu Teresa Meng suggests it might be toxic.

Interestingly, if you click on the “Author Information” section of this study, Tingzhu Teresa Meng was a highschool student at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. The study was done on Lumbriculus variegatus, a worm. Squares of a PEVA shower curtain were added to a water bath and heated to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The VOCs emitted from it were captured, and the worms were exposed to it. This was compared to worms exposed to regular water, and worms exposed to the VOCs that come from PVC. The PEVA-exposed worms showed stress reactions higher than those in the water group, and lower than those in the PVC group. To the best of my knowledge, no other studies on PEVA toxicity have been done. None have been done in humans at the temperatures and time lengths for normal bathroom exposure to PEVA shower curtains.

PEVA is certainly less toxic than PVC, because it doesn’t require phthalates to make it a soft and flexible fabric, and it doesn’t require chlorine in its production. It is probably not as toxic as the worms in the above-referenced study experienced, since our bathrooms are never drawing VOCs out of it at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It is probably also not as safe as a natural fiber, and it is certainly less eco-friendly. I think it deserves more study to ensure that it is truly safe, not just meeting the thresholds of “non-carcinogenic.” I would like to see more, and updated, information on it.

So, I do not recommend cuddling with a PEVA shower curtain or heating it up to 150 degrees and breathing in its VOCs. However, I do see it as a safer option than PVC for waterproofing applications like shower curtains or other situations, because protecting from mold or water damage is very important to your health.