Better Sex?
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Katie K investigates - even further - forget good sex.
What about better sex? |
Last week we investigated good sex – but why would we stop there when we can go straight to… better sex!
It probably wont surprise you to find that sex toys aren’t regulated, that if a toy is faulty most people are unlikely to take it back or that setting up a consumer watchdog for sex toys isn’t top of the Conservative Party’s agenda (despite their new found environmental focus.)
However, with the growth of the industry and toys set to leap from the shelves of Soho’s more salubrious locations onto those of the supermarket, perhaps the time is right for discussion on the ethics of the rampant rabbit et al.?
Lets start first with the easy attack – anything made of PVC…
PVC is an environmental nightmare as it contains dioxins and furins ‘some of the most toxic chemicals known to science’. Even the US* notes that dioxin (the term for a specific group of chemicals that scientists claim to be ‘exquisitely toxic’) is a serious public health threat, linked to cancer.
PVC also contains phthalates. The Greenpeace Report states that ‘some phthalates are known hormone disrupters and others are under suspicion’. - Aka some will give us all a good dose of oestrogen and the others are the Flash Harry’s of the toxin world.
Phthalates have been banned from food containers in the UK as they can migrate into fatty products. Now - I can’t speak for everyone here but that means that, for a start, PVC mini skirts should go nowhere near my bottom!
An exciting array of other toxic chemicals found in PVC include:
Ethylene Dichloride (a possible carcinogen)
Vinyl Chloride Monomer (known to affect immunological, neurological, reproductive and development systems)
Lead (harmful to unborn children / may impair fertility)
Organotins (can cause lung and liver damage)
Organochlorines (“the most dangerous group of chemicals to which natural systems can be exposed”)
Cadmium (brief exposure to high doses may result in death)
None of which is great news.
However, if you are thinking… “Well this is all fair and well but me dressing in skintight fuscia PVC glamour grippers isn’t going to do all THAT!?” bear in mind that, as in the bedroom, its not always all about you.
Making PVC is detrimental to the people who make it and what is more the disposal of PVC severely harms the natural world (PVC does not biodegrade).
In addition, it wont hurt you to think about exactly WHERE that PVC goes…. If there is an alternative it might not be so silly.
So is there? Well, no plastic toys are ideal as, whether PVC, jelly or silicone, as they are petroleum-derived which means that ultimately making these will lead to the use and depletion of our fossil fuels.
Luckily though, regardless of the lack of legislative requirements, many companies are taking it into their own hands to provide us with the most ethical toys they can, (well aside from sympathetically shaped produce from your box scheme)!
Coco de Mer, Sam Roddick’s boutique shop in Covent Garden sells paddles made from sustainable wood sources and its sex toys are toxin free and endorsed by the World Wildlife Fund.
There are metal and glass vibrator options.
Smitten Kitten, do not to carry jellies, cyberskins, or other potentially toxic toys.
I Rub My Duckie, (the more surreptitious of sex toys) are phthalate free and meet strict toxicity safety standards.
Heck nowadays you can get organic lube and even the ubiquitous ‘Rabbit’ is being made from thermoplastic elastomers instead of PVC.
What's more - if you really want to show your love for the planet why not join: www.fuckforforest.com!
So there really are no excuses – live, love and be happy – check out the sites above and while away the long winter evenings.
But remember!
If you get a bit carried away with these eco-love machines… invest in some rechargeable batteries!
* U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Report 1994
