FYI

[zenbabe]

Greenpeace issues toxic sex toy warning 'Crystal Jelly Double Dong'
> off the menu By Lester Haines → More by this author Published Monday
> 11th September 2006 13:33 GMT Free whitepaper - Best Practices for
> Selecting and Implementing Software License Management
>
> Greenpeace Netherlands has issued a statement warning sex toy lovers
> not to shove the "Spectra Gel Anal Plug" or the "Crystal Jelly Double
> Dong" where the sun don't shine, according to an eye-watering report
> on Expatica.
>
> The reason behind the shock advisory is not the possible risk of
> ending up in hospital with a dildo stuck firmly up your jacksie and
> having to endure the humiliating laughter of medical staff who avail
> themselves of the opportunity of grabbing a few X-rays for later
> dissemination on the internet, but rather that sex toys apparently
> contain "extremely high concentrations of phthalate plasticisers which
> allegedly pose a risk to human health and the environment".
>
> Phthalates are oil-derived plasticisers commonly used to soften PVC.
> Research centre TNO examined eight sex toys at Greenpeace's behest,
> "including dildos, vibrators and butt plugs". It discovered that seven
> of the items contained high levels of phthalates, including DEHP
> (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) which was last year permanently banned
> from kids' toys in the EU because of a possible health risk to young
> children.
>
> Greenpeace's Bart van Opzeeland, head of the the organisation's
> campaign against toxic materials, said: "I cannot remember over the
> last five years such high concentrations being found in research."
>
> A Greenpeace statement added: "Remember, these are chemicals which do
> not easily biodegrade and can be dangerous - even in small amounts."
>
> The Phthalates Information Centre Europe, meanwhile, is having none of
> it. Its website declares: "Plasticised PVC has been used for nearly 50
> years without a single known case of it having caused any ill-health
> and the environmental effects of phthalates are known to be minimal."
>
> The website's section on "EU Risk Assessments" of five commonly-used
> phthalates says that diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and diisodecyl
> phthalate (DIDP) show "no risks to human health or the environment for
> any current use".
>
> Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), though, demonstrates "some potential risk to
> plants in the vicinity of processing sites and possibly to workers
> through inhalation".
>
> The risk assessments for butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP) and DEHP "remain
> open as scientific data is still being considered".
>
> Back in September 2004, the EU Competitiveness Council did indeed vote
> for a permanent ban on DEHP, DBP and BBP for use in all PVC toys,
> extending a temporary order imposed in 1999. Furthermore, it banned
> DINP, DIDP, and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) "from toys and child care
> items that children can put in the mouth".
>
> Markos Kyprianou, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer
> Protection, later said: "Europe's citizens expect all products sold on
> the EU's internal market to be safe, but this is particularly the case
> for toys and childcare products. Toxic chemicals have no place in
> children's toys. Our action on phthalates shows that when a risk is
> identified, the EU can act effectively to protect the health of its
> children."
>
> The ban came into full force in January 2006, although the
> aforementioned EU Risk Assessment for DINP and DIDP (published April
> 2006) adds weight to industry suspicions that environmental pressure
> groups have for political reasons exaggerated the risks posed by
> phthalates.
>
> As the Phthalates Information Centre Europe said back in April:
> "Following the recent adoption of EU legislation with regard to the
> marketing and use of DINP and DIDP in toys and childcare articles, the
> risk assessment conclusions published today in the Official Journal
> clearly state that there is no need for any further measures to
> regulate the use of DINP and DIDP."
>
> For the record, rodents exposed to high levels of phthalates have
> reportedly suffered damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and developing
> testes. Exponents of phthalate use say the test levels were much
> higher than would occur as a result of everyday exposure to PVC.
>
> The green lobby says even low levels pose a health risk. And so it
> goes round and round...We leave it to you to decide whether the
> undoubted delights of the PVC "Cyber *****" are outweighed by the
> potential risks. (r)