You've heard of them before - phthalates. Over the past few years they have been real news in the Danish media and TV shows. The softening plastic substances are known because they can potentially be carcinogenic, can mess with your hormones and make it difficult to have children later.

All in all, an ugly mixture and something you should avoid exposing yourself in your student apartment.

In some products, the phthalates more common to use than others. We look at the most frequent here.

Beware of bed and shoes

Phthalates are used in vinyl flooring, but in Denmark we use mostly wood floors. In turn, the potentially harmful substances also emerging in air mattresses and it is for students with a major problem.

Especially in Copenhagen and Aarhus starts many students each year their student sleeping on an air mattress or a couch with friends and family in the same cities. Demand for student housing and the actual supply matched all.

The cheaper the air bed, the greater is the risk that there is used phthalates. It is not without reason that phthalates in a transition was very popular and frequently used in virtually all plastic products on Danish soil - easy to work with and cheap. It also means that phthalate-free products are just a tad more expensive.

If you sleep on an air mattress you pay hardly any rent. Therefore, you may well invest a little extra money in buying a good air mattress as an alternative to a regular bed . As a bonus, you also get a better night's sleep in this way and a better night's sleep equals better performance in your studio. Do you sleep poorly remember not what you learn to the lecture.

What Stain and Black?

It is not only home you should be careful. Also if you have dogs in the apartment, you must be aware of the risks of phthalates.

They are indeed often used rubber toys (both for dogs and for adults ).

The risk increases if you buy your dog toys abroad, where authorities cut across the board is less strict than is the case in Denmark.

If you would like to buy safe toys for the dog, without risk of phthalates into the house, consider a monthly box of example Barko or one of many other providers.

Are they dangerous?

Right now phthalates on the EU list of "endocrine disruptors".

There are made many studies to investigate phthalate the potential harm. Unfortunately, the sticks in opposite directions. There are many studies that point to harmful effects, but also some who can not make firm conclusions.

It is also a challenge to directly test the phthalates on humans - for who wants to run for an experiment in which the best that can happen is that nothing happens?

Therefore, we need to investigate in the laboratory and try to draw conclusions from this.

It has been known for many years how there is a risk that phthalates are endocrine disrupters. To be on the safe side you should buy products without phthalates. You can benefit from using the app "Check chemistry" from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Council THINK like you in your daily work can buy Swan and Keyhole labeled products.