The latest study claims that microplastic particles, which can originate from a variety of sources, can enter the bloodstream through ingestion and induce metabolic diseases like diabetes.
They can also harm the brain system, immunological systems, and reproductive and developmental systems.
Scientists have now discovered that sex toys are a significant source of contamination, right up there with air pollution and interaction with other plastics.
Researchers from Appalachian State University and Duke University have discovered that phthalates, which can alter hormone levels, are also present in sex toys at quantities higher than those advised by US consumers. As a result, they are alerting consumers to the potential risks.
They examined four categories of sex toys that are currently on the market: external vibrators, dual vibrators, beads, and anal toys.
The anal toy released the most micro-and nanoplastic particles, followed by beads, twin vibrators, and external vibrators in order of least to most.
Lead author Dr Joana Sipe said: ‘We assert that since the measured presence of phthalates in our small sample size exceeds the exposure limit for the same chemicals in the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations in children’s toys, investigations into whether or not the risk scenarios are also similar in sex toys are prudent for public health protection.’
Microplastics are released when plastic food packaging is opened and when food is prepared on a plastic cutting board. 90% of all cosmetic products used in bathrooms are thought to contain microplastics, and cooking in a Teflon-coated pan also coats your food in microscopic plastic particles.
Dr. Sipe and her colleagues observed in the journal Risk Analysis that self-assembled consumer and business groups have been at the forefront of bringing attention to safety concerns around sex toys, “possibly due to the societal taboo nature of the products.”
‘Popular culture articles, sex toy critics and sex shops have raised awareness of chemical hazards, and healthcare professionals have called for educating consumers about preventable physical injuries associated with poorly designed sex toys,’ they wrote.
‘Legal scholars have brought attention to the absence of regulatory action by the US federal government to address these risks and have called upon consumer action groups – and even the US Congress – to step in and demand protective action, but have so far gained little traction.’
The findings, which come only months after world leaders were charged with demonstrating “zero ambition” to safeguard human health at the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Kenya, will be deliberated upon at the 2023 Society for Risk Analysis Annual Conference in Washington, DC, next month.
