Question from SVE
Dear Debra,
Synthetic shoes (New Balance) may be a problem for me. I can’t seem to find very many “non-toxic” shoes online (such as hemp, etc.). Leather would be OK but the foot beds and soles are made from so many substances. Leather and real 100 % rubber sound OK, but what about polyurethane, foam and other synthetics? Do you have a list of non-toxic substances that “main stream” shoes are made of? If not, do you have a list of worst toxic materials used in the manufacture of shoes? I dislike not buying “green” shoes, but I’m more interested in “not-toxic” shoes made of substances that a person with MCS might be able to tolerate. Love your new website – such great information and easy to use! Thanks for all your help.
Debra’s Answer
A lot of shoes today are made from PVC, which emit phthalates, an endocrine disruptor. Even if the shoes are not made from PVC, many are made from other petrochemical materials.
Leather shoes may utilize a variety of toxic chemicals as well, so you really have to check and see how the leather is processed.
Here’s a link to an earlier post about nontoxic shoes: Are there any nontoxic shoes?
