On the news this week was an interesting article concerning dangerous phthalate use in cricket balls and that they have been pulled from distribution due to safety concerns.
All our disability aids are healthy alternatives to phthalate products. Our coasters, mats, jar openers, bottle openers and cutlery grips, are 100% phthalate free. When we created the Tenura brand and products, we wanted something that was the future and anticipated the movement towards a PVC-free and phthalate-free time. Although PVC is still the world’s third most popular plastic, there is a movement away from it. Apart from the Tenura range all of the gripping aids, mats and coasters seen on the market are simply cheap PVCs that are rammed with phthalates and plasticisers, the products that we commonly compete against cannot be used around children and cannot be used in states such as Oregon or California.
The high levels of phthalates and plasticisers provide the grip as the chemicals make the PVC soft (the ‘U’ in UPVC windows is ‘Unplasticised’, meaning that without the plasticisers then a PVC jar opener etc would be a hard solid lump of plastic), the plasticisers keep making the PVC soft until they eventually leave the product leaving it hard, or at least having no grip properties. The manufacturers will claim they are not PVC but ‘a unique plastic that does not exist anywhere else’; no, they are really cheap PVC products, and their grip comes from the phthalates. When a PVC feels grippy or has hold, it simply means that large amounts of phthalates are leaving the product and are they coated on your skin, which you then pass around, you touch your mouth, you touch your food and ingest them. The PVC films they mention are so restricted they cannot be around food or as mentioned, children due to safety. Yet companies still use and will dare not mention that they are PVCs with very high levels of phthalates. As mentioned the grip in competing materials comes from the phthalates leaving the PVC mat or coaster and then making it very soft. Eventually large quantities of the phthalates have left the PVC meaning that it no longer has sufficient grip, many of these phthalates will have left and passed to your skin.
Tenura does not have any of these problems. Tenura uses 100% PVC, phthalate and plasticiser free materials, our compounds can be used for children’s toys, around food, can be sold in all US states and are completely inert. Offering a wide range of PVC-free solutions for home safety!
If you want something that you know is 100% safe for you, your children and will continue functioning the same in years to come as it does from the start then the Tenura range is the only viable material.
What are the harmful effects of phthalates?
Phthalates, commonly found in various products, have been linked to various health concerns. Having regular exposure to phthalates has been associated with hormonal disruption, reproductive issues, developmental problems in children, and increased risk of asthma and other allergies. Additionally, some studies show a potential link between phthalate exposure and certain cancers. It's important to minimise exposure to phthalates, especially for pregnant women and young children. Opting for phthalate-free products like those offered by Tenura can help mitigate these risks.
Unlike competing products we are happy t provide certification, safety documentation, detailed data sheets (ones showing construction not simply avoiding what the plastic or referring to it as a ‘Trade secret’) and all information required. We are always happy to help.