Poly Vinyl Chloride - PVC

Partially true but not all shower curtains contain PVC and they do still smell. If you go to Walmart, for example, and read the lables of the shower curtains, you may well be amazed how many smell and do not contain PVC. I've heard those stories for a long time. As always my methods are to write down the name of the distributorr or manufacturer, call them, note to them the conversation is being recorded and ask about the possilbe PVC contents. Again if they say NO and there really is, great for a law suite.
This is the same with numerous Plastic products. For example many plastic glasses in a plastic container may well smell when first opened and I've found many that do smell. And it is against the Federal Law to have PVC in containers that will be used for food products. Walk down the aisles of almost any store where plastic products are in abundance and you will smell all sorts of odors.
As to that quarter. If it was mine, I'd really want to know just what that stuff really may be.