The Red, White, and Green

Photo via Flickr: Stevendepolo

It’s been awhile, but yesterday I had a serious green goof. I had ordered one of those bouncy rubber exercise balls from Amazon.com, only this one wasn’t rubber; it was advertised on the site as being latex-free.

For some time, I’ve been of the mind that latex-free = healthier, even though I’m not allergic to latex. I am, however, paranoid that I may one day develop an allergy, since studies have shown that people who are frequently exposed to latex (e.g., health care workers who wear gloves) are at higher risk for developing latex allergy.

And since latex allergy can be severe enough to be fatal, I usually figure: May as well avoid it when you can, right? Which why I went ahead and ordered that latex-free exercise ball, without giving it a second thought.

The ball arrived. But when I took it out of the package, I noticed it had a funny smell. I decided it probably needed to air out a bit, so I put it in the living room with the windows open. Fast-forward to the next day: I’m working at my desk in the living room, and all of a sudden I get a horrendous headache. And I notice that the smell from the previous day is still lingering.

I decide to email the manufacturer of the ball to find out what the materials are. The response: foamed PVC. Oops.

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is a toxic plastic that’s filled with dangerous chemicals, including dioxins, phthalates, vinyl chloride, and lead. It’s especially harmful to infants and young children, since their developing brains and bodies are more vulnerable to the endocrine-disrupting effects of these chemicals.

I was planning on using this exercise ball as my birthing ball for my “all-natural” birth.

Latex, on the other hand, may be a concern for some allergic people (less than 1 percent of the US population, actually), but it is, in fact, a natural — even eco-friendly — material. It’s made from the sap of rubber tree plants, and is completely biodegradable.

Next time I’ll research the materials before I order something. The ball is going back, by the way. I now have my eye on a PVC-free (and latex-free) one from EcoWise.

–Jennifer Grayson

Like this post? Subscribe to The Red, White, and Green RSS feed