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March 29, 2007
Greenpeace at play
In its assault on chlorine, which morphed into an attack on substances containing chlorine, such as vinyl, which in turn morphed into attacks on the substances in some vinyl, such as phthalates, Greenpeace has launched some creative assaults. But now it’s really hitting below the belt – suggesting that absorption of phthalates through physical contact could be hurting users of vinyl sex toys.
Some European newspapers have reported, apparently for laughs, on Greenpeace’s campaign. Mainstream American newspapers probably won’t report on the topic, due to the subject matter (although Howard Stern’s successor on broadcast radio spent a fun-filled morning on it). But at the risk of giving the attack more serious consideration than it deserves, risk in this case would be primarily a function of time of exposure. Keep in mind that laboratory studies involve giving rats very high doses of certain phthalates, every day, for months or even years, in order to produce negative health effects. Physical contact with vinyl containing phthalates, be it shower curtains (another favorite target of the anti-vinyl lobby) or the products at issue here, do not fit that chronic-exposure scenario.
In my view, this is not the greatest contribution Greenpeace has made to the betterment of humankind. Enough said.
The European Union put this issue to bed a while ago, concluding "there’s no evidence that people using sex toys are at risk.”
Posted by Marian at 3:00 PM | Comments (0)