Now that I have been a contributor on EdenFantasys for almost a year, I can tell you I have learned a lot and it has been through the community, forums, and my personal experience with the toys that I can now inform others about quality materials, phthalates, and why jelly isn’t as body safe as say silicone, glass, wood, or steel. I want to take some time and discuss phthalates and some of the potential affects they have on our bodies.

So what are phthalates? According to Wikipedia, they are substances added to plastic to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. They are found in many things from your sex toys, to body lotions, cosmetics, and medications where enteric coating is formed with an inactive ingredient. There have been many studies performed on phthalate exposure and their results are sort of shocking.

I am going to include a few examples for you so you can know what potential effects phthalates may have on your body. This will allow you to become aware that what we put in our body or on our body does have an impact on our health and we all should be aware of the potential dangers that are lurking in unsuspecting items that we may not have thought about before.

Studies have shown that rodents that are exposed to high doses of certain phthalates have been shown to change hormone levels and cause birth defects. Young children and those with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to the potential adverse effects of phthalates and should be cautious about using anything that may contain phthalates. Also, women who use a lot of personal care products and cosmetics are prone to phthalate expose.

A study conducted found that there is an association between phthalate exposure and endocrine disruption, leading to development of breast cancer because there can be phthalates added into your normal everyday body care products. It has also been well documented that endocrine disruptors such as phthalates can be addictive, so even very small amounts can interact with other chemicals to have cumulative, adverse "cocktail effects" . This means one days exposure will add onto the day before exposure and so on and so forth. The more you use the item that could contain phthalates, the more likely you are to have issues with your body because the phthalates are interrupting our normal body behaviors and changing the structure of our internal systems. Although cases regarding breast cancer and phthalates are relatively small, it is still something everyone should be aware of.

Other studies mention that there may be a link between the “obesity epidemic” and endocrine disruption and metabolic interference due to our phthalate exposure. In a study done on several men, tests were taken and the tests showed that those who had high concentrations of several prevalent phthalate metabolites showed statistically significant correlations with abnormal obesity and insulin resistance. This is because phthalates are metabolic disrupters and exposure to high levels of phthalates or exposure over greater periods of time can cause the metabolic rate to change and can cause issues with weight and obesity. Their study also showed that children with higher exposure to phthalates had larger body sizes than those with less phthalates in their system. The studies show the obesity risk increases proportionally to the level of the phthalates found in a child's bloodstream. I know those studies can be frightening, but fortunately, phthalates are being phased out of many products in the United States and Canada due to health concerns.

I have EdenFantasys to thank for educating me about the dangers of phthalates. Before coming to Eden I did not know anything about phthalates and didn't know the everyday items that I am using on myself and my children could actually have potential dangerous effects to our bodies. Now that I know, I’m becoming more aware of what I’m applying to my body and to the bodies of my children. I am now checking the labels on every bottle of personal care product that comes into my home including body lotion, scrubs, makeup, lubricant, or massage oil that is bought for my personal use or to be used on my wonderful children. I wouldn’t have known without the wonderful community of EdenFantasys and I thank them for opening my eyes and helping me become more aware of the potential dangers of things that are all around me. I could have been unwillingly applying phthalates to my skin and causing my body potential compounding effects because I didn't know any different.