I received this question during one of our surveys:
Where can one find a good christian resource for toys that encourage safe toys since most or a great many sex toys have toxic substances in them. Most resources that I have been able to find have porn ads embedded in the sites.
And I thought, “Hey, I could be a good Christian resource that encourages safe toys!”
So, we’re going to talk a bit about some safety issues when it comes to toys and along the way, I’ll be linking to some products over at MarriedDance.com for two reasons:
- No porn and no nude models, they’re a Christian sex toy store
- I get paid for affiliate links to them, which helps pay for hosting, mailing list management, domains, email, basically all the things I need to keep writing for you.
- Everything they sell is non-toxic.
Alright, let’s get started.
Toxicity in sex toys
The sex toy industry is an unregulated field. Because they are categories as “for novelty use”, which means they have no real use, they are not watched by any regulating body.
But, we all know they do get real use…often internal use, and that means your body is coming into contact with them, often in some of the most porous areas of one’s body, and so you need to be aware of what’s in your sex toys.
The biggest issue is around the topic of phthalates (pronounced tha-lates). Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to soften PVC plastics. 6 different types of phthalates have been banned in children’s toys, but because the sex toy industry is unregulated, those laws don’t apply. Also, they don’t have any legal requirement to list their materials on the packaging, so often you can’t even check. One of the problems with phthalates is that they don’t chemically bond to the plastics they are mixed with, and so they tend to release into the air, or whatever is touching the item. This means if this toy is inside of you, you’re getting phthalates absorbed into your body.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot known about what phthalates do to a person, until recently, no one wanted to pay for the long term studies needed. At the moment, there are studies out testing for connections with asthma, changing the timing of puberty, and the risk of childhood obesity. But, there are also animal studies that suggest a connection to birth outcomes (gestational age and birth weight specifically), fertility and “anatomical abnormalities in male genitalia”.
Basically, these are chemicals that we really don’t know are safe, but many are inadvertently putting into their bodies.
So, what can you do?
When shopping, look for items that are specifically phthalate free. Married Dance won’t sell a product they know has phthalates in it, so that makes it easier. Unfortunately, due to a lack of regulations, you can’t always be 100% sure on some products. So, here are some tips:
- Know your brands. Some brands I like and know don’t use phthalates are LELO and We Vibe.
- Know your materials. Glass toys, toys that explicitly state they are 100% Silicone and Stainless Steel toys are phthalate free, and generally hard plastic toys are phthalate free, as the phthalates would make them soft.
- If you already have toys that you aren’t sure about, you can put a condom on them to block any phthalate absorption by the body (thanks to golfwidow for asking this).
Anything that is soft, jelly like, translucent (except glass), I’d be very wary of. Oh, and if you open the package and there’s a very strong smell…chances are those are the phthalates leaking out.
Of course, do your research. There are some companies devoted to only producing phthalate free toys, and I don’t know them all.
Your Turn
Do you have some toys you need to toss? Or do you know some brands that are committed to not using toxic materials?