Dangers of Phthalates

Phthalates are a common industrial chemical used in PVC plastics, solvents, and synthetic fragrances. They've been around since the 1930's and now they're pretty ubiquitous; when they tested 289 people in 200, the CDC found phthalates in all of the subjects' blood at surprisingly high levels. They're often referred to as a plasticizer, which we think sounds rather like a kind of exercise to be done on the living-room floor in front of videos hosted by Jane Fonda. But we digress.

What are the possible health effects?

Phthalates are endocrine disruptors linked to problems of the reproductive systems, including decreased sperm motility and concentration in men and genital abnormalities in baby boys. (The average sperm counts have decreased significantly since the 1940's) More recently they've also been linked to asthma and allergies.

Avoid these, and you'll also be avoiding phthalates:

1. Nail polish
2. Plastics in the kitchen
3. Vinyl toys
4. Paint
5. Frangrance
6. Vinyl
7. Air Fresheners