They are unsanitary (difficult to clean, potentially porous) and therefore gross, they often smell funny, and they can melt (ie degrade) - either randomly on their own or when they come into contact with other better toys. Certain kinds of phthalates may be carcinogenic or affect reproductive health, which means of course that one wants to be rubbing 'em all up in your junk, right?
ALSO. Since sex toys are technically, like, 'novelties'? (read the packaging sometime, so so many of 'em say 'not for internal use' - like h'm, this buttplug is TOTALLY not going inside of anything, noooo) Government agencies (like the fda or whoever) don't actually have to check materials and stuff to make sure they're body-safe, so a lot of these 'novelties' are made with dodgy materials and can cause things like irritation, rashes, and infections. Baby toy manufacturers (since phthalates make plastics soft, as in teethers and pacifiers as well as squishy synthetic dongs) stopped using these materials like 15 years ago, so that should tell you something. Lack of regulation means that not only are things not checked, but manufacturers don't even have to tell you, the consumer, the truth about what you're putting in or on your genitalia. "Jelly" toys are usually chock full of phthalates, yaaay.
There's good news, though! Some manufacturers and sex toy shops are SUPER aware of this stuff and totally helpful and up-front, and there are many reputable bloggers out there that review sex toys with not just pleasure but also safety in mind, which is why it's always good to research toys/manufacturers online before buying.
*jazzhands*
(I think I covered everything right, but there are other folks on this thread who can correct me if I've erred)
Re: Matt/any (or no pairing): Sex Toy Shopping
They are unsanitary (difficult to clean, potentially porous) and therefore gross, they often smell funny, and they can melt (ie degrade) - either randomly on their own or when they come into contact with other better toys. Certain kinds of phthalates may be carcinogenic or affect reproductive health, which means of course that one wants to be rubbing 'em all up in your junk, right?
ALSO. Since sex toys are technically, like, 'novelties'? (read the packaging sometime, so so many of 'em say 'not for internal use' - like h'm, this buttplug is TOTALLY not going inside of anything, noooo) Government agencies (like the fda or whoever) don't actually have to check materials and stuff to make sure they're body-safe, so a lot of these 'novelties' are made with dodgy materials and can cause things like irritation, rashes, and infections. Baby toy manufacturers (since phthalates make plastics soft, as in teethers and pacifiers as well as squishy synthetic dongs) stopped using these materials like 15 years ago, so that should tell you something. Lack of regulation means that not only are things not checked, but manufacturers don't even have to tell you, the consumer, the truth about what you're putting in or on your genitalia. "Jelly" toys are usually chock full of phthalates, yaaay.
There's good news, though! Some manufacturers and sex toy shops are SUPER aware of this stuff and totally helpful and up-front, and there are many reputable bloggers out there that review sex toys with not just pleasure but also safety in mind, which is why it's always good to research toys/manufacturers online before buying.
*jazzhands*
(I think I covered everything right, but there are other folks on this thread who can correct me if I've erred)