NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez 
House Bill No.  _____ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The environmental group EcoWaste Coalition released a US-based report entitled 
“Volatile Vinyl: The New Shower Curtain’s Chemical Smell” showing the deadly effects of 
shower curtains made of polyvinyl chloride, more commonly known as PVC, to human health. 
This report was based on tests conducted on PVC shower curtains purchased from popular 
US retail shops.  According to the Center for Health, Environment and Justice report, shower 
curtains emit as many as 108 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air that were found 
to be carcinogenic and may cause damage to the human’s liver, respiratory, reproductive and 
central nervous systems.  
Aside from the VOCs, other chemicals such as phthalates and organotins were found 
in PVC shower curtains. Phthalates, also found in plastic medical devices, have been linked 
to reproductive problems including shorter pregnancy duration and premature breast 
development in girls, sperm damage and impaired reproductive development in males. The 
dangerous group of chemicals is used to make PVC plastic soft and pliable. Meanwhile, 
organotins are chemicals used as heat stabilizers. But since they are not chemically bound to 
the curtains, they can easily migrate from within the curtain to its surface. Exposure to this 
kind of chemical may affect the skin, liver, the reproductive, immune and central nervous 
systems. 
Chemicals such as toluene, cyclohexanone, methyl isobutyl ketone, phenol and ethyl 
benzene were also found in the air for 28 days after a shower curtain was unwrapped and 
hung. The report disclosed that the concentrations of these chemicals were likely to be greater 
during and after a shower.  
Indoor air pollution has been ranked by the US Environmental Protection Agency as 
the fourth in cancer risk. The World Health Organization and American Lung Association has 
included indoor air pollution as one of the major risks to human health and among the 13 
environmental problems facing the world. 
The group’s own research disclosed that 90 percent of shower curtains sold in leading 
malls and retail stores in Metro Manila were made of PVC. Some of them were not even 
properly labeled. 
Hence, this bill seeks to ban the sale of shower curtains made of polyvinyl chloride, 
more commonly known as PVC, in the country.  
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ 
November 24, 2022
6:08 pm
6383


NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez 
House Bill No.  _____ 
AN ACT  
BANNING THE SALE OF SHOWER CURTAINS MADE OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE, MORE 
COMMONLY KNOWN AS PVC IN THE PHILIPPINES 
Section 1. Declaration of Policy. –It is the declared policy of the state to regulate 
consumer products that contribute to indoor air pollution and cause harm to health and the 
environment. 
Section 2. 
Ban on Sale of Shower Curtains made of Polyvinyl Chloride more 
commonly known as PVC. The sale of shower curtains made of polyvinyl chloride, more 
commonly known as PVC, is prohibited. 
Section. 3. Rules and Regulations. — The Department of Trade and Industry shall 
promulgate the rules and regulations for the effective enforcement of the provisions of this Act. 
Section 4. Separability Clause. – Should any provision of this Act or any part thereof 
be declared invalid, the other provisions, so far as they are separable from the invalid ones, 
shall remain in full force and effect.  
Section 5.   Repealing Clause. -  All laws, orders, issuances, rules and regulations or 
parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
Section 6.   Effectivity.  -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
6383