Canada Still Behind on Restricting Phthalates in Adult Toys

OTTAWA, Canada—Government officials in Ottawa have taken steps to restrict phthalates in children’s toys, but have not yet issued the same restrictions on adult sex toys. Health Canada issued a statement Tuesday that the new restrictions will be in place by June and will essentially cal for lowering the concentrations of six phthalates. The controversial chemicals are used to make plastics more pliable, and have been used to give sex toys a “jellied” feel. And the lack of action when it comes to phthalates and sex toys has some in the industry upset. "I think it's completely atrocious that they don't regulate these chemicals in sex toys," Eric Armour, owner of adult shop Trinity Romance in Squamish, B.C., told The National Post. According to Armour, his store has sold only phthalate-free toys since opening in 2004. Member of Parliament Carolyn Bennett, a medical doctor, has issued a call for the sex toy industry in Canada to be regulated, saying chemicals used in many toys pose a potential health risk for women. Bennett sent a letter to Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq in 2009, making note of the need for regulation. At issue for Bennett is the use of bisphenol A and phthalates; both are commonly used ingredients in plastics. Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq responded that Health Canada was not concerned with the chemicals as they relate to adults and sex toys. "The mere presence of phthalates in soft vinyl is not a health concern," wrote the minister, adding, "Health Canada has no immediate plans to study phthalates in adult toys." Prenatal phthalate exposure has been shown to cause genital development impairment in male rodents, and an August 2005 study reported in Environmental Health Perspectives, a journal published by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, has shown a similar impairment for exposed human babies. "The department continues to watch for new developments related to phthalates in sex toys and will take appropriate risk management action as necessary based on the available scientific evidence," said a Health Canada spokesperson. While there are several existing studies showing that exposure to the chemicals at certain levels could cause hormone complications, the chemicals have not been banned outright in the adult industry. Several pleasure product manufacturers, however, have taken it upon themselves to voluntarily stop using the chemicals.