News
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008
11
WWW.KANSAN.COM
》SEXUAL NOVELTIES
Sex toys go green, become healthier
BY MANDY EARLES
mearles@kansan.com
Hybrid, solar power and even bamboo are a few words associated with protecting and preserving our environment. Dildos, vibrators and the occasional lube are words rarely linked with the environment, but now, even those unmentionables have gone green.
Alicia Ruscin, former graduate teaching assistant for women's studies, said that glass sex toys had been around for years.
"Some use glass toys because you can warm the glass or keep it cool," Ruscin said. "It gives it a different sensation."
Ruscin said glass toys were probably better for the environment because the toys would last longer, instead of ending up in a landfill.
Pat Davis, president of Passion Parties, a company that sells adult accessories and helps plan sex toys parties, said glass toys were beneficial because they were easy to clean.
"Glass toys can be very pretty,very decorative and very creative," Davis said. "People even buy them as a decoration piece for their home."
She said she thought more environmentally conscious consumers could be a reason the glass toys had picked up in popularity.
Shoppers seeking more green options may have helped glass toys become more recognizable, but the health benefits may have also played a factor.
Milton Wendland, second year doctoral student, said the phthalates were a substance used to make the plastic in the toys softer, more pliable and realistic. He said phthalates could cause the plastic to breakdown and could then release toxins into the body and the environment.
"Since phthalates are found in everything from paint to dildos, there is a lot of potential exposure," Wendland said.
Emily Gertz, environmental journalist in New York City, said vinyl phthalates could cause harm to your health and could cause damage to your reproductive organs. She said not much testing had been done on phthalates.
Wendland agreed and said sex toys weren't regulated by the government because they were classified as "novelties."
Ruscin said the government banned all children's toys from having phthalates in them because no one wanted a child sticking a toy with phthalates in their mouth.
"No one wanted to think about the sex toys. They didn't want to think about where women were putting those toys, and how that might be dangerous to their health," Ruscin said.
Gertz said women should probably avoid all toys that contain phthalates to be on the safe side, and instead to use some alternative options such as glass toys.
Edited by Rebekah Scaperlanda
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