Roy Maynard: Early Returns

I like a good argument.

But I really love a bad one. A fallacious argument, that is, ready to be demolished with a little common sense, a dash of logic or even better, a simple question.

Last week, for example, the media reported on a new study warning us about the newest threat to our health: shower curtains.

“Vinyl shower curtains sold by major U.S. retailers emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, according to a report released Thursday by a national environmental organization,” the

Los Angeles Times breathlessly reported. “The curtains contained high concentrations of chemicals that are linked to liver damage as well as damage to the central nervous, respiratory and reproductive system, said researchers for the Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment and Justice. The organization commissioned the study about two years ago to determine what caused that ‘new shower curtain smell’ familiar to most consumers.”

That’s the villain in this drama, it seems: new shower curtain smell.

“This smell can make you feel sick, give you a headache, make you feel nauseous or (cause) other effects,” claims Michael Schade, coauthor of the report.

Based on the study, the group is calling for a ban on all shower curtains (and other products) made with PVC.

Retailers are responding; Target, Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Bed, Bath and Beyond are “replacing PVC products with safer ones,” reported U.S. News & World Report.

Really? Now I have to be afraid of my deadly shower curtain? The crisis begs a very short question, a question that can refute even much larger arguments (despite what your mother told you). That question is simply, “Says who?”

Let’s examine at the claimants, and then the claims.

The Center for Health, Environment and Justice is made up of activists, not scientists.

It was founded by Lois Marie Gibbs, a self-described housewife who lived along the infamous Love Canal in Niagara Falls, N.Y. She led the fight to relocate the families there in the 1970s.

That’s quite an accomplishment, but it’s not a qualification. Other staff members include Renee Blanchard, who “came to CHEJ in 2008 from Greenpeace US, where she helped organize a 400-person art exhibition on the beaches of South Florida to highlight the impact of global warming.”

Ms. Blanchard’s job title now is “Childproofing Our Comm-unities Program Coordinator.”

Roy Maynard
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