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Not my flip-flops, bro....
By Alex Formuzis, EWG Director of Communications
What's the world coming to when your freakin' flip-flops are laced with toxic chemicals dangerous to human health and the environment?
I mean, the main pillar of my decades-old No Socks policy between May and September include the purchase of a new pair beginning each spring.....INSERT EXPLETIVE-FUELED RANT HERE:
So, when I saw the headline in the Manila Bulletin "Sandals, flip-flops found with harmful chemicals" it really harshed my mellow.
Then there's this from yesterday's Business Report:
"In a study released last week, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) found high levels of a toxic chemical known as diethyl-hexyl phthalate (DEHP) in 17 out of 27 pairs of shoes manufactured in various countries including India, Indonesia, Tanzania, The Philippines, Sweden and South Africa.The chemical can cause cancer, severe damage to a developing fetus and the central nervous system."
Now, I love the Swedes and all they've done to advance science throughout the years, and the meatballs at Ikea are the best in town, but this is one study I'd just as soon had not been done.
I won't hang up my flip-flops but, what gives, sandalistas?
[A big thx to flickr and theogeo for the pink flops]
I wouldn't be surprised if the plastic or foam (or whatever they are) are packed full of chemicals. Earlier this year I discovered that I'm allergic to latex. When it warmed up and I pulled out my favorite brown beaded flip-flops and wore them walking my dob I ended up with nasty welts and blisters where the strap had touched my foot the most. I never, ever, ever, get blistered from flip-flops. So I took a closer look at the strap. Though there was no "Latex" label, it felt like and wasn't worth the risk of more welts so I quit wearing them. Bad idea to have latex in flip/flops or other clothing items. There are lots of us sensitive people out there. I pulled out my old cloth and cork/bamboo flip flips and have been wearing them since with no worries!
I'd say, might be worth a switch since your feet are highly permeable. There are cloth etc flip flops out there that could be even more comfortable!
I wonder about the flip flops from Old Navy-- they are definitely plastic... Hmmm...