Ph-what?
September 14, 2006 | 
Sex
One of the other CyDy staffers sent me a link to a Babeland blog article about phthalates being banned in sex toys. Supposedly this is all over the news, though I haven’t heard a word of it - clearly I need to edit the custom fields in my personalized Google News page!
I’m not sure there’s a whole lot to get one’s panties in a bunch over just yet. Apparently there’s no actual ban - environmental group Greenpeace has asked the European union to ban sex toys containing phthalates. Additionally, a Danish research group discovered that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use phthalate-containing sex toys for more than an hour a day.
So what does this mean for us? Well, if you’re in the U.S., not much of anything, since Greenpeace is talking to the EU here. If you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding, you’re probably okay to use a rubber toy more than an hour a day, although it may cause skin irritation according to Babeland. But really, silicone is best anyway, so if you get toys that are entirely silicone (and not silicone-rubber, since the rubber is what contains the phthalates) you should be fine.
By the way - if you are wondering, like I was, what the heck is a phthalate and how do I say that word? - check out the definition and pronunciation here. Does anybody else think it sounds like the nice lady is saying fellate?!
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No, your rubber toy is just fine, it won’t contain any phthalates, and is safe as long as you properly disinfect it from time to time (it has a porous surface, so unlike with silicone washing it isn’t enough).
Phthalates are used in PVC based toys, examples include the popular jelly or cyberskin products. But it’s easy to detect: phthalates are what makes cheap plastic smell like, well, cheap plastic.
I’m going to stick with silicone, stainless steel and tempered glass, though. Maybe a little rubber, but silicone really is the best choice.
September 18th, 2006 at 10:25 amGenerally people have bad impressions of the eu and greenpeace but really, this is a healthy move.
September 23rd, 2006 at 7:40 pm