Ok, so by now you are wondering what Phthalates are, simply put; they are a chemical added to plastics to make them more flexible. They are very common in Polyvinyl Chloride(PVC), a common plastic, but they are really seen in a long list of consumer plastic goods. As with many consumer products, although Phthalates are widely used in all industries, almost no research has been dedicated to understanding the effect this chemical has on humans.
The National Toxicology Program, run by the Us Department of Health and Human Services, determined that Phthalates are "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen", more can be read about this in their 13th Report On Carcinogens published on October, 2nd 2014.
So the big question becomes how can you limit your risk? A very common use of Phthalates is in Vinyl fabric material, wood finish, cosmetics, and many flexible plastic films. We are doing our part here at TY Fine Furniture by only using our own Organic Grade Zero voc wood finish.
We also carry the full line of Naturepedic Mattress and Accessories along with a wide selection of Savvyrest products. Naturepedic makes not only excellent Crib mattresses that do not contain Phthalates, but they also have an excellent organic cotton waterproof mattress protector that is Phthalate free, so you can protect your mattress without introducing toxic chemicals to your sleep space.