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Question from Martina

Hi Debra,

Thanks for your work – I’ve been reading your newsletter/website for a long time and appreciate the research you do.

I have a young child at home and am trying to find a non-toxic play mat for him where he can play and learn to crawl (so I’d prefer a mat that isn’t slippery). After spending a lot of time researching this, I’ve run across this mat:

Dwinguler My Town Large Kid’s Playmat.

In reading the comments, it seems like the mat is 45% PVC and 55% plasticizer. What are your thoughts on this? Is it safe for a young child to spend a lot of time on?

Debra’s Answer

NO NO NO NO NO. It’s NOT safe.

I was just researching this yesterday.

What “45% PVC and 55% plasticizer” means is it’s 45% vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) which causes cancer, and 55% phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors.

Do not use this mat.

I recommend instead SoftTiles, which I looked into thoroughly and even ordered samples. They are made from EVA, which is much less toxic, and were tested to be free of formaldehyde, BPA, and phthalates.

And here are many EVA floor tiles and play mats online.

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