Question from Shar
Hi Debra! I was wondering if a phthalate-free pvc kids exercise ball would be safe for my young grandson. The brand is Wai Lana and the ball is advertised as not having lead or bpa. Is there a “safe” pvc?
Debra’s Answer
I don’t know of a “safe” pvc.
What you have here is a “less toxic” pvc because it contains no lead or phthalates (often found in PVC) and no BPA (never found in lead).
But PVC is still vinyl chloride, and the softer the plastic, the more the vinyl chloride will outgas, and vinyl chloride is known to cause cancer. Will the amount of vinyl chloride that might outgass from an exercise ball cause cancer? Probably not. But it’s not just the vinyl chloride in the exercise ball. We are exposed to many other toxic chemicals, which, in combination become more harmful as they interact with each other in your body. So every exposure we can eliminate helps to protect our health.
Children can get plenty of exercise running around and playing games without toxic exercise balls.
