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Home > Sex Tech > Sustainable Desires: Sextech Needs to be Body and Eco-friendly

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Home›Sex Tech›Sustainable Desires: Sextech Needs to be Body and Eco-friendly

Sustainable Desires: Sextech Needs to be Body and Eco-friendly

By M. Christian
April 22, 2024
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Study indicates pleasure devices may result in unforeseen ecological and health-related problems

A newly published paper by a Duke University team raises a series of disturbing questions regarding the negative impact the sextech industry could have on the environment and the well-being of its users—and if unchecked, could curtail our use of sex tech to enhance sexual pleasure but even imperil the planet we live on.

The plastic predicament

Focusing on what is arguably the most problematic part of sextech manufacturing, Joana Marie Sipe from the University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and her fellow researchers draw a connection between the industry’s production of nano and microplastic waste and the chemicals often employed to remove it. 

To “highlight evidence supporting the possibility that people who use some sex toys in the United States may be exposed to materials that include chemicals previously identified as hazardous, thereby posing potential health risks,” the Duke team began by abrasion testing four different sex toys to replicate average wear-and-tear.

Once completed, they found the pair of vibrators—one identified as “external” and the other “dual” produced the least amount of nano and microplastics. At the same time, the “anal beads” and what they called an “anal toy” resulted in the most.

A big threat from small particles

“These results confirm differences in potential microplastic and nanoplastic generation from abrasive forces applied to sex toys,” the Duke team notes. “While potentially higher than it could be in actual use scenarios, provides understanding of a potential upper bound in mechanically induced exposure. Exposure in this study will reference the generation of microplastics from the material in which the sex toys are generated from as well as the phthalates the material contains, raising the possibility of interaction with these microplastics and chemicals generated.”

RECOMMENDED READ: Kinky and Green: The Rise of Sustainable Fetish Fashion

Though studies like those conducted by Duke University may not be conclusive, environmental scientists are also becoming increasingly alarmed by the damage microplastics pose to the environment.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains, “These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean and Great Lakes, posing a potential threat to aquatic life.”

More troubling, researchers led by Khaled Ziani of Bucharest, Romania’s “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, authored a paper stating, “Data from animal studies have shown that once absorbed, plastic micro- and nanoparticles can distribute to the liver, spleen, heart, lungs, thymus, reproductive organs, kidneys and even the brain (crosses the blood–brain barrier).”

The world and everyone on it

As with any industry, a growing number of companies are seeking to cash in on sextech’s increasing popularity. While many understand the importance of producing environmentally conscious and user-safe products, it’s logical to assume others don’t.

Here’s where the trouble lies, as when faced with often expensive but high-quality pleasure devices, consumers may instead opt to go with cheaper, less-personally-healthy, more possibly world-damaging options.

Joana Marie Sipe and her Duke University researchers have already considered this situation, concluding their paper with a rallying call for open discussion of possible detrimental impacts the manufacturing and use of personal pleasure devices might have on user health and the environment: “Increased awareness of potential risk can catalyze a broader conversation around protecting consumers from sex toys risks, support advocacy for additional research, and promote stakeholder involvement to champion protective action.”

Correctly suggesting it’s an everyone problem, they write, “Representative inclusion across all genders and sexual orientations will be important to ensure attention to the risks accrued to, and protections needed by, key affected demographics.”

Green is never easy but absolutely necessary

If the climate crisis has taught us anything, it’s that there’s no time to waste—with the same urgency being equally crucial when discussing the health and well-being of humanity as a whole.

The sextech industry may not like it, and consumers might not want to pay extra, but by demanding more accountability and environmental sustainability—including calling out irresponsible companies while actively supporting conscientious ones—we may just live long enough to enjoy a new wave of smarter, greener, and healthier pleasure devices in a world that’s not choking to death on miniscule bits of plastic.

Image Sources: Depositphotos

Tagssextechpleasuredevicesgreentechenvironmentalissues

M. Christian

M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex.

Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.”

Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian.

As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2.

M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise.

Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex.

If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro.

M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.
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