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Dubious Dildo Dispute: A Reasoned Defense of Silicone

Introduction

Recently, in a column discussing sex toy safety and health (do read the original article, available here) , several concerns were raised regarding silicone toys. The implication, which this expert carefully avoided stating explicitly, was that silicone toys may not really be safer than rubber or vinyl toys. We disagree, but acknowledge that our opinion alone will not assist consumers in drawing their own sound conclusions. So what would assist consumers? Facts, presented without equivocation. Here, we attempt to distil the assertions, or the (often unstated) implications included in that column, and respond to each one individually. In our analysis, we have been careful to avoid hyperbole or create "tin man" arguments we could easily discredit; we have not "put words in the mouth" of the expert, and we feel we have interpreted the information and drawn the conclusions any reasonably intelligent reader would. We invite comment or criticism of our methodology or our conclusions.

1. There is no scientific research to back up the assertion that silicone sex toys are less likely to cause health problems than rubber or vinyl toys. Not specifically, but that's probably because there isn't much research about ANY "sex product"; nobody's funding the studies, so nobody's conducting the studies. However, there are LOTS of studies exploring health issues with respect to rubber, vinyl, and silicone infant chew toys and food containers or utensils; the results are freely available for the consumer to read. Claims that silicone is safer for sex toys are based on the following premise: a material that has been demonstrated to be safer when inserted into the mouth is also safer when inserted into the vagina or rectum. These food container/utensil and infant toy studies will have to serve as "surrogate science" for us until government or academic grant-writers start caring about sexual products.

2. If silicone toys were really so safe, they would sport a Medical Device License Not likely. Here's how Canadian law works: If one is selling medical devices, either the importer or the exporter must maintain a valid Medical Device License. The licensing requirements ensure that the device meets the standards necessary to perform its medical function. Because our silicone dildos are not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of a medical condition, these products do not perform a medical function. It probably would be possible to obtain a Medical Device License for a silicone dildo, for instance if the design and intended use was as a dilator for post-operative vaginal dilation or for prostrate massage. The fact is, though, that it just isn't necessary for the products we sell; they can be imported under the NAFTA category "silicone personal massagers". Heck, we don't even hide behind the "novelty purposes only" label. The lack of Medical Device Licenses indicates that we aren't importing medical equipment, but it does NOT indicate that the dildos aren't medical-grade silicone.

3. The quality of silicone used in sex toys is unknown, and is not medical grade. Of course, it's difficult to know just what goes into a coloured blob of silicone. We asked some of our suppliers, and here's what we learned: Fun Factory only uses tested silicone in accordance with the Federal German Health Department for use in medicine, cosmetics and foodstuffs. DownUnder Toys purchases the ungraded portions of silicone batches produced for medical use. That was kind of confusing, so we asked for clarification: The process of identifying medical-grade silicone involves testing and certifying a proportion of a batch; this part of the batch is then sold to medical institutions and manufacturers. The process of testing and certification for medical grading is expensive, and only part of any given batch is handled that way. DownUnder routinely purchases the portion of the batch that was NOT graded, though it WAS produced for medical use. So the fact is that we are selling medical-grade silicone, or something indistinguishable from it, and most of our suppliers offer lifetime warranties against tearing, discolouration, and scent with their products.

4. The curing agents used in silicone production may be toxic In some cases, yes. We asked our friends at DownUnder to help with this one, too. The curing agents for medical-grade silicone are certainly NOT toxic; the two components that form medical-grade silicone meet, bond together, and that's it; there are no by-products. With lower-grade silicones, called "condensation silicones", the curing agents ARE toxic, and the curing happens via out-gassing. This is similar to the chemical reactions used to produce industrial rubbers used for cheap sex toys. The key difference between industrial silicones and industrial rubber is that the silicone completes its condensation process within about a week, and is then chemically stable; it will not break down, and it behaves as other silicones do. This is not the case with industrial rubber.

5. The colourants used in silicone production may be toxic DownUnder uses cosmetic pigments, which are approved for skin contact applications. However, because there is no chemical migration out from the silicone, silicone doesn't release pigment; theoretically, it wouldn't matter what colourants were used.

6. Silicone products that feature cavities (for vibes) may have been produced in a way that compromises the integrity of the silicone Creating cavities in silicone requires the use of a tooled cast that not only defines the outside shape of the toy, but also the shape of the cavity. It could not be described as "hollowing out" a moulded piece of silicone. All of our suppliers produce cavities during the casting process, not by a separate process that occurs later.

7. Genuine medical-grade silicone toys would be prohibitively expensive. This is true, to a point. Mainstream sex shops would have to sell medical-grade silicone toys for several hundred dollars, because they commonly apply an enormous mark-up (as much as 600%) to the cheap toys they're accustomed to selling, and they expect to use the same mark-up guidelines when pricing silicone. The new wave of women-focused sexuality stores (which tend to stock silicone toys) do not mark-up silicone products to that extent, because it's just really difficult to sell $500 dildos. Instead, manufacturers and retailers alike settle for a much smaller margin and reduce costs elsewhere as much as possible. Ever notice how most silicone dildos have minimal packaging? There just isn't any margin left to create glossy packaging and pay royalties to put some porn star's image on it. In fact, some of our suppliers have indicated that they are often shut out of mainstream sex shops because the wholesale price of silicone products makes it impossible for distributors and retailers to get their usual 600% mark-up. The issue for the consumer is not that their local outlet can't obtain safe silicone product, but that they can't make ridiculous profits off silicone, so they won't stock it. Also, featuring safe, high quality silicone products alongside the cheap rubber and vinyl toys would tend to make consumers aware of the vast quality gap; customers might develop negative opinions about those products that DO make a ridiculous profit for the retailer. For mainstream sex shops, it just doesn't make sense.


Womyns'Ware Inc. (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)