EVA looks and feels an awful lot like PVC, so is it made with the same toxic chemicals?
Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) is widely accepted as safe for use in teethers. EVA is a type of plastic that does not require a plasticizer and is BPA-free, so it is considered to be a safer alternative material.
So what is this plasticizer stuff? PVC's soft texture is imparted by “plasticizing” chemicals. DEHP, a member of the phthalate family of chemicals, is the most widely used plasticizer in teethers. The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CEHJ) recommends EVA as a safer PVC-free plastic alternative. CEHJ describes the effects of phthalates in their article PVC: The Poison Plastic:
Among the health effects of phthalates, found in many PVC products, are premature birth delivery, early puberty in girls, impaired sperm quality and sperm damage in men, genital defects and reduced testosterone production in boys.
The following are a few examples of safer teethers made from EVA:
- Green Sprouts Teethers and Toys
- Sassy Flutterby Teethers
- Bright Starts Chill & Teethe Tubes
- Nuby Icy Bite Teethers and Toys
Click here to learn more about differences between PVC and EVA/PEVA in our latest update.
Photo credit: nuby.com
9 comments
I’m working on that next baby so I can get some of these cute and safe teethers! That cow is the first on my list.
The fish are cute, too.
I’m working on that next baby so I can get some of these cute and safe teethers! That cow is the first on my list.
The fish are cute, too.
I was looking for safe floor padding for our baby as he becomes more mobile and found skip hop makes
interlocking tiles that are made from EVA!!
see the articel in above link!
Sara
I was looking for safe floor padding for our baby as he becomes more mobile and found skip hop makes
interlocking tiles that are made from EVA!!
see the articel in above link!
Sara
I just received this e-mail from Munchkin in reply to my question regarding BPA and their teethers and thought I’d share…
“Hi there Whitney,
Thank you for contacting us, we recognize that customers like you have made Munchkin Inc. the company it is today, and we truly appreciate hearing from you.
The Munchkin Fun Ice Chewy Teether is made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, which is BPA free.
Sincerely,
Amanda Maria
Consumer Relations
818-893-5000 x546
F: 818-221-4554
amanda.maria@munchkin.com“
I just received this e-mail from Munchkin in reply to my question regarding BPA and their teethers and thought I’d share…
“Hi there Whitney,
Thank you for contacting us, we recognize that customers like you have made Munchkin Inc. the company it is today, and we truly appreciate hearing from you.
The Munchkin Fun Ice Chewy Teether is made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, which is BPA free.
Sincerely,
Amanda Maria
Consumer Relations
818-893-5000 x546
F: 818-221-4554
amanda.maria@munchkin.com“
EVA is ethylene vinyl acetate or carpet glue. Please read what it is doing to people who have smoked for years without getting sick and just a few months ago was added to cigarette paper to make it fire safe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene-vinyl_ace…
http://brianunderwood.blogspot.com/2010/03/fsc-…
Myra, that is such a perplexing comment because it is widely known that tobacco smoke is hazardous to your health. I do not believe people who smoke for years never get sick. If anything, smoking impairs the immune system of an individual making them more susceptible to being unable to defend against viruses.
I don’t think any plastic is safe. Use natural rubber teethers (rubber made from rubber tree – yes, there is such thing!)
like Sophie the giraffe.