Ever thought about the toxins in your sex toys? So you’re an Enlightened Green Consumer. You buy organic food and carry it home from the local market in string bags. Your coffee is shade-grown and fair-trade, your water’s solar-heated, and your car is a hybrid. But what about the playthings you’re using for grown-up fun between those organic cotton sheets — how healthy and environmentally sensitive are they? Few eco-conscious shoppers consider the chemicals used to create their intimate devices.
Yes, those things — from vibrators resembling long-eared bunny rabbits to sleeves and rings in shapes ranging from faux female to flower power. But it’s necessary. Love Stinks Many popular erotic toys are made of polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) — plastics long decried by eco-activists for the toxins released during their manufacture and disposal — and softened with phthalates, a controversial family of chemicals. In recent years, testing has revealed the potentially serious health impacts of phthalates. So what’s being done to protect consumers?
Special Report: The problem with phthalates. No More Toxic Toys — Washington Toxics Coalition. Parents have a right to know what chemicals are in the products they buy for their children. That's why we're working to ensure a new Washington state program will provide parents, consumers, and policymakers with the information they need to make good decisions about chemicals in products. Just the Tip of the Toxic Iceberg A Common Sense Solution Resources For More Information Remember the fall of 2007 when Thomas, Elmo and Dora were personae non grata in toy boxes because they contained harmful levels of lead? Just the Tip of the Toxic Iceberg Yet, the problem goes beyond just those two chemicals. Parents and government regulators were left wondering: what other chemicals might be hiding in the toys and other products children use? A Common Sense Solution The Department of Ecology is on a path to change that. Resources Campaign Fact SheetSafe Start For Kids: Easy tips for choosing safer products and creating healthy environments For More Information Contact:
Phthalates. Sex Toys and Phthalates - Babeland. Author: By Dallas Schuster On August 8, 2006, Greenpeace Netherlands and UK called on the European Union to ban all phthalates in sex toys. This set off a large debate among scientists, sex toy makers and sex toy users about just how harmful phthalates are, and whether they should be used in sex toys. Babeland has been explaining phthalates to our customers for years (we give out information with every toy we sell), and we want to let people know what we think about the chemicals in some of the toys we sell. What are Phthalates? Phthalates are plasticizing chemicals that soften Polyvinyl Chlorides (PVCs) – plastics that are used in everything from building materials, tubing, and clothing to shower curtains, and can even be found in food. What does this mean for sex toys? Phthalates are cheap and easy to use. Are Phthalates harmful?
The jury is still out on this one. What’s Babeland’s recommendation? How can I tell if my toy has phthalates? Which toys don’t have phthalates?