(no subject)

Energy drinks just get weirder and weirder:

(no subject)

(I will fill in links later. It's hard to find ones from sources I consider to be "neutral" *and* aren't locked into subscription-only archives. But I'm working on it.)


I'm having mixed feelings about this whole phthalate thing.

Phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastics. Some places you will find phthalates: anything vinyl (PVC -- this includes everything from fetish wear to dishwasher racks), nail polish, baby teething toys, and sex toys. Among many, many other things.

There is a lot of research supporting the hypthesis that phthalates mess with the reproductive systems of male vertebrates. Specifically, phthalates are estrogen mimics, and they have a "feminizing" effect. And, by the way, there are a lot of feminized fish and amphibians showing up. This is a significant environmental issue. Phthalates are one (and only one) possible suspect in this.

There's also clear evidence that phthalates tend to leach from the plastics they are commonly used to soften. It's easy for them to end up in large quantities in, say, river water, and then to adversely affect, at a guess, fish and amphibians and so forth. And, OK, possibly humans too.

There's some preliminary evidence* that yes, phthalate exposure might be bad for human boys and men and their reproductive capacities. It's very preliminary and highly disputed evidence, but there you go.

But I think it is a rather odd leap of logic to go from there to, say, throwing out all your jelly sex toys because you're afraid of polluting your precious bodily essences or, you know, going infertile or something.

The phthalate-free sex toy movement has suddenly become a big deal (at least to my insider eyes). All the progressive sex toy websites seem to have a discussion of it somewhere or other. Some proclaim themselves proudly phthalate-free. Folks I know have written columns on the subject. And so on and so on.

But...

The amount of exposure to phthalates one person gets from one jelly dong is *nothing*. Statistically insignificant. Especially when you factor in, I dunno, did I mention nail polish up there? Yes, I did. And how about that dishwasher rack? OR the nozzle of your sporty little water bottle?

Or, quite significantly, medical equipment?**

And besides, that's not the issue anyway. Because personal exposure is not the issue. There's no evidence that it causes any harm *to adults*. Maybe to male fetuses -- because phthalates are an estrogen mimic, remember? -- and possibly young children, but, again, that's just a hypothesis at best at this point.

There are a lot more dangerous things we're exposed to every day -- heavy metals (lead and mercury), for example. Very bad for you, and very common. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Phthalates, though, I think are probably still under the water line.

And even when it comes to environmental estrogen mimics (aka xenoestrogens)...well, I read an article the other day that pointed out a whole lot of unmetabolized estrogens are ending up in our water systems due to birth control pill use, and that this might be a factor in the feminized fish and amphibians that are turning up all over the world, but especially in the US.

Huh.

There's a whole class of "OMG, everyday objects could kill you!" stories going around these days -- think deodorant and breast cancer, and that's just off the top of my head -- and, hey, by the way, I've noticed that women's magazines seem to traffic in them a lot. Not sure why, except to make people feel panicky and insecure...

I am kinda against the large-scale *manufacture* of , say, jelly sex toys, because, you see, that means more phthalates leaching into the environment, and thus more precipitous drops in frog and fish popoulations, and collapsing ecosystems, and so on and so forth.

There's a dynamic here that disturbs me. It doesn't *surprise* me, note. But it does disturb me. When something has a clear-cut, demonstrable, and significant adverse environmental effect, we let it slide in the name of convenience. But if you can concoct a far-fetched theory as to why it might affect your own health -- and remember, this isn't "phthalates will give you cancer!" hysteria, this is, essentially, "phthalates will make you infertile!" -- then, suddenly, it's a cause.

But I am also wondering this: why sex toys? Why is that where the idea to go phthalate-free fixated on? Why start with jelly dildos, eh? Of all things? Of all things.


* Note the sidebar that ranks human phthalate exposure by age group. Toddlers have about three times the exposure level of adults.

** For instance, "[T]he panel determined that critically ill male infants undergoing medical treatment with vinyl medical equipment can receive doses of DEHP that may adversely affect reproductive development."

(no subject)

It would be nice if you* could acknowledge that I might dislike you on your own merits, rather than on behalf of someone else.



* obligatory disclaimer: not you-specific, you-generic. Or at least you-plural.