Today I want to talk to you about phthalates. You might ask if this is some sort of new fancy rabbit vibrator coming on the market. No, it’s not but it’s something I want you to be aware of when considering your next rabbit sex toy as I feel it’s important to be fully educated.
Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to soften rubber. They are often used in sex toy manufacturing as the trend has been towards more realistic or life-like toys. Rabbits are no exception as they are typically designed so the shaft moves side to side and back and forth. The rubber needs to be able to give in order for these motions to be effective and sensual and phthalates help do this.
The problem with phthalates is that in studies on lab rats they have been found to cause cancer and affect the genitalia and fetal development. Now these were rats that had been exposed to extremely high levels of the chemical but it did cause some very negative effects. Studies in humans have been very limited so the data is limited but the FDA does list phthalates as a “probable human carcinogen.” While studies haven’t been conclusive there is data that points to phthalates effecting infant genital development as well as an effect on sperm production. Again studies are limited and there isn’t enough data yet to cause the FDA to ban these chemicals.