Scientists have revealed that low quality sex toys are contributing the amount of dangerous plastic particles in the modern human’s body. The findings discovered in a study by Duke University, which StorErotica has covered on release here, show that pthalates (a group of harmful chemicals) are being released into the human body and “chemically absorbed rapidly” via plastic sex toys, affecting hormone levels and fertility.
According to Metro, “In order of most to least micro-and-nano-plastic release, results found that the anal toy released the most particles, followed by beads, dual vibrators and external vibrators.”
Now, scientists are considering the further effects of plastic consumption, including metabolic disorders which may result from microplastics in the bloodstream, such as diabetes. The absorption of microplastics also disrupts immune responses and can cause damage to the nervous, developmental and reproductive systems.
In case you aren’t already crumbling under the state of the world today, Metro shares this uplifting note of encouragement: “Unfortunately, microplastics are everywhere, even in our homes. Been shopping? Opening plastic food packaging releases microplastics, as does preparing food on a plastic chopping board. Cooking with a Teflon-coated pan? It will also coat your food in tiny plastic particles. In the bathroom, 90% of all cosmetic products contain microplastics. Splashing out on a new carpet? It could double the number of microplastic fibers in your home. And don’t forget your clothes, which are full of them. Overall, studies show we consume or inhale a credit card’s weight in plastic each week.”
“Overall, studies show we consume or inhale a credit card’s weight in plastic each week.”
– Metro
According to Dr. Joana Sipe, lead author of “Bringing sex toys out of the dark: exploring unmitigated risks,” the Microplastics and Nanoplastics study which made the scientific discovery, there are safer toy designs already on the market which do not show these detrimental effects. It’s not a matter of science that the health risk exists, it’s a matter of politics.
Writing in the journal Risk Analysis, Dr. Sipe and her team note, “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. 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.”
Twenty experts have co-signed an open letter arguing for stronger health protections for future generations. The findings will be discussed at the 2023 Society for Risk Analysis Annual Conference in Washington DC next month.
Dr. John Peterson Myers, founder of Environmental Health Sciences and a member of the Plastic Health Council, states profoundly: “What began as an almost invisible trickle near the beginning of the 20th Century has now become a monstrous tsunami.
“Plastic and plastic chemicals have spread like a scourge to every part of our planet, even inside us at levels known to be hazardous. Yet industry projections based on ‘business-as-usual’ anticipate the volume of plastics created will double by the mid-century.
We must choose. Will we smother the Earth and ourselves with toxic plastics? Or do we have the courage and foresight to stop the onslaught?”
Read the original story from Metro here.
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