On Friday, Greenpeace called for banning phthalates in sex toys in the European Union. Phthalates are plastic softeners that are used in alot of things that we use every day - shower curtains, water bottles, etc. However, we don't put our shower curtains inside of us where our tissue is much more absorbant. Toys with phthalates often have a plastic-y smell and can degrade over time. Greenpeace's request is interesting because there isn't alot of information out there about the effects of phthalates in sex toys. Here at Babeland, we always recommend using a condom on any toy with phthalates (that's any jelly rubber toy and some others) just to be on the safe side.What's especially interesting about this is that the European Union has banned phthalates in baby and dog toys for years. This shows us just how much we keep our sex lives hidden that dogs were protected sooner than adult humans. Another frustrating aspect of this is that the sex toy industry shows no signs of doing anything and insists that phthalates are not harmful (this sounds eerily like big tobacco to me). In fact, if sex toy makers mark their toys as "novelty" items, they aren't subjet to regulation thus they can put anything in them that they like.So why do people buy toys with phthalates? They're soft and inexpensive and they often come in fun colors like sparkly purple. For some people, that's all of the things they're looking for in a toy. I think of toys with phthalates as good starter models. They're good to use to see what you like before you invest in something that will last a bit longer.Lastly, I was going to blog about this anyway and then Greenpeace helped me out a bit. Babeland was in a fantastic video about environmentaly friendly toys. If you want to learn about these toys and get a look at our Mercer Street store, check out this great video.To see some toys with phthalates, check out the Nubby G, the Pleasure Pal and the classic plugs.To see some toys without phthalates, check out the Blueberry Buzz, the Laya and the Lumina Wand - just to name a few of my favorites.For more information on toy materials, check out our shopping advice section.Also check out one of my favorites - Violet Blue's - post on this and her fantastic blog, Tiny Nibbles.