NY Post Gives Shockingly Good Green Sex

In what is perhaps a first, TreeHugger sees eye-to-eye with the New York Post. And of all things, we're in agreement about sex. Specifically, the toys that are sometimes used during sexy time. Rather than kicking off its stock sensationalist reportage seemingly having hired some down-and-out Hollywood screenwriter to scribe a screaming headline the likes of "KISS YOUR ASTEROID GOODBYE!," "AXIS OF WEASEL," or "HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR," The Post instead gives shockingly good head-on-its-shoulders accounting of the problems and solutions concerning toxic phthalates in unregulated sex toys. The erstwhile tabloid's first smart move was talking with our old friends at Babeland who advise sex toy shoppers to do what folks in the above video do: "smell the vibrator... If it’s greasy or smells funny, it’s probably got phthalates in it."

Phthalates are chemical ingredients that makes hard plastic into a soft plastic and are linked to cancer, the damage of reproductive systems as well as the impairing of sperm. The sex toy industry is largely unregulated with products typically packaged as "novelty items," letting manufacturers off the hook from adhering to existing safety standards. The Post covers the good news too -- there are alternatives. We've told you about glass and metal toys as well as how to green your sex life, and Claire Cavanah, one of two founders of Babeland, suggests looking for elastomer or silicone as opposed to jelly rubber:

Hard plastic doesn’t have phthalates in it because it’s not soft. Many companies are actually making toys that are replacing the phthalates so the market for the old products is shrinking.

Shrinkage in this case being a good thing, Babeland now only has fewer than 5 percent of products that contain phthalates, so it looks like we're getting close to entirely eliminating these nasty chemicals from our sex play. So close, almost there, almost there... :: New York Post :: Babeland