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The Problem Hiding in Plain Sight
Teethers spend a lot of time in a baby’s mouth — sometimes hours each day. That makes the material they’re made from one of the more consequential choices a parent will make, yet most product packaging doesn’t make it easy to understand what’s actually inside. Three chemicals come up most often in safety discussions about baby teething toys: BPA, PVC, and phthalates. Each is a different compound with different origins, but they tend to travel together in cheap plastic products, and their potential effects on infants are serious enough that regulators in the U.S. and Europe have taken action on several of them.
Understanding what these chemicals are — and why they end up in teethers in the first place — is the starting point for making a safer choice.
BPA: The Hardener That Acts Like a Hormone
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that has been used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins since the 1950s. BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastic — a shatter-resistant, clear material — and is found in baby bottles, sippy cups, teethers, water bottles, food storage containers, and the lining of many food and beverage cans.
The core concern with BPA is that it behaves like estrogen in the body. In 2016, BPA was classified by the European Chemicals Agency as toxic to reproduction and identified as a substance of very high concern due to its endocrine-disrupting properties. Endocrine disruptors are substances that interfere with hormonal signaling and may influence growth and developmental processes. Numerous studies have linked BPA exposure to reproductive toxicity and infertility, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and neurodevelopmental impairments.
For infants specifically, the exposure route is direct: it is believed that BPA can leach from plastic into food, liquid, and directly into the mouths of children while sucking on pacifiers or teethers. BPA can leach from plastic containers into foods and beverages, especially when they are heated or used for long periods of time.
The regulatory picture is uneven. In 2012, the FDA banned BPA from baby bottles and children’s drinking cups. But teethers have historically fallen into a different regulatory category. U.S. regulators have banned or restricted BPA in some products babies use daily — including bottles and cups — because at certain levels it’s thought to cause hormone changes that can lead to health issues. Baby teethers, gummed by infants to soothe teething pain, aren’t subject to the same regulations.
What makes this more complicated is the “BPA-free” label problem. Research published in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science and Technology found that BPA and other chemicals leached out of brands labeled “BPA-free” or “non-toxic.” Researchers found BPA in almost every product tested, and detected more than 15 to 20 toxic chemicals in all of them. Manufacturers may replace BPA with equally harmful chemicals like BPS or BPF and label the product “BPA-free.” This practice, called “regrettable substitution,” can still leave babies exposed to dangerous toxins.
PVC: The Plastic That Comes With a Long List of Problems
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) — also called vinyl — is one of the most widely produced plastics in the world. It’s inexpensive, durable, and flexible, which is exactly why it ends up in so many consumer products, including soft baby toys and teething rings. But the chemical story behind PVC is difficult to ignore.
Polyvinyl chloride is a soft vinyl plastic that often contains lead and phthalates, and the production or destruction of PVC releases cancer-causing dioxins into the environment. PVC is dangerous to human health partly because so much chlorine is used in making it. When chlorine is used in industrial processes to make PVC plastic, or when products made with PVC are burned as trash, a dangerous by-product called dioxin is formed.
Dioxins are considered some of the most toxic poisons known to humans and can harm neurological, reproductive, developmental, and hormonal systems. They are persistent in the environment and can be found in food and breastmilk.
During everyday use, the risks come from the additives PVC requires to function. Raw PVC is rigid and brittle, so manufacturers add plasticizers — most commonly phthalates — to make it soft and flexible. PVC is dangerous while being used because chemical plasticizers added to make some plastics soft and flexible break down and are released during normal use. Children that suck on PVC teething rings, pacifiers, or toys ingest chemicals that leach from the plastic and are known to cause damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys.
Health concerns associated with PVC include cancer, birth defects, reproductive and developmental disorders, low sperm count, undescended testes, premature puberty, and liver dysfunction. Teethers containing BPA, phthalates, and PVC have a high risk of leaching out due to their chemical instability.
One more thing worth knowing: “phthalate-free PVC” may still contain dioxin, heavy metals, and VOCs. Removing one additive doesn’t make PVC inherently safe.
Phthalates: The Softeners Linked to Hormonal Disruption
Phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are a family of chemicals used as plasticizers — they’re what makes hard plastic pliable enough to squeeze or bend. Phthalates make plastic soft and flexible and are often found in car interiors, shower curtains, deodorant, cosmetics, and medical devices. They can also be found in children’s products such as toys, rattles, teethers, rubber ducks, bath books, baby shampoo, soap, and lotion.
The health concern centers on their role as endocrine disruptors. Phthalates soften plastics in toys, teething rings, and even pacifiers. They are hormone disruptors, and studies link phthalates to issues with growth, brain development, and reproductive health. Babies and young kids are at greatest risk because their bodies are still developing. Other research connects prenatal phthalate exposure to birth defects.
Exposure in infants tends to be high relative to body weight. Research on infant exposure found that in most infants (81%), seven or more phthalate metabolites were above the limit of detection. When kids put toys, teethers, and other products that contain phthalates in their mouths, the chemical may leach from the product to the child.
And because phthalates are so often paired with PVC, choosing a PVC-free product tends to reduce phthalate exposure at the same time. Phthalates are typically added to PVC to soften it. The two chemicals are closely linked in the manufacturing process, which is why safety-conscious brands avoid both together.
Possible health risks of early childhood exposure to endocrine disruptors could include asthma, diabetes, neurodevelopment disorders, obesity, and reproductive abnormalities. These are not certainties — the science involves ongoing study — but the pattern across multiple independent research teams is consistent enough that many pediatricians and toxicologists recommend minimizing exposure wherever possible.
Why Cheap Teethers Are More Likely to Contain These Chemicals
The short answer is cost. Plastics made with PVC and phthalates are cheaper to produce than food-grade silicone, natural rubber, or beechwood. Manufacturers of low-cost teethers — particularly those sold without clear material disclosures — often use these compounds because they produce a soft, flexible product at minimal expense.
Plastic toys and teethers — particularly the soft, inexpensive variety — are generally full of these chemicals. A 2021 study by the Technical University of Denmark found over 100 chemicals in plastic toys that pose possible health risks to children. Cheap plastics are often treated with a cocktail of chemicals that can leach out when the toy is chewed on — especially as it wears down.
The labeling problem compounds this. Many soft plastic teethers contain phthalates — chemicals that can leach into a baby’s mouth and disrupt hormonal development. Even products labeled “BPA-free” may still contain harmful substances. A 2013 study published in the National Library of Medicine showed that not only did baby teethers labeled as “non-toxic” contain toxic chemicals, but a majority of toys labeled as “BPA-free” actually contained BPA.
This gap between label and reality is partly a regulatory issue. Baby teethers — gummed by infants to soothe teething pain — aren’t subject to the same regulations as baby bottles. Regulatory limits are not set specifically for babies and don’t take into account the accumulation of chemicals a baby might be exposed to over time and from multiple products. That leaves parents doing much of the verification work themselves.
What to Look For Instead
The safest materials for baby teethers are those that don’t require chemical plasticizers to achieve flexibility. Food-grade silicone is free from BPA, phthalates, and other harmful chemicals, making it an excellent option for teething toys. When silicone meets FDA and/or LFGB food-contact standards, it’s tested to help ensure it’s suitable for mouthing and won’t release unwanted substances. Quality food-grade silicone does not have BPA, PVC, or other common plasticizers, making it a safe choice for baby teethers designed to soothe sore gums.
When shopping, look for labels that state the teether is BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free, lead-free, and cadmium-free — these indicate the product has been tested for toxins. Pay attention to compliance marks such as CPSC or CPSIA, which confirm the product meets U.S. safety standards for children. Third-party testing matters here: a brand that sends its products to an independent lab carries more weight than one relying on self-reported claims.
Loulou Lollipop’s silicone teethers are made from 100% food-grade silicone and are free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, and cadmium — every teether ring sold is safety-tested by a leading third-party laboratory to ensure it is entirely free of BPA, PVC, phthalates, lead, cadmium, and other toxic substances, and is compliant with Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations. The inks used in the designs are water-based and food-safe, injected into the silicone rather than applied as a surface coating — a detail that matters when a baby is chewing the product for hours each day.
For parents who want a firmer teething surface, beechwood teethers are another option. Beechwood is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial and won’t splinter when a baby chews on it. Just avoid soaking wood teethers in water, which can cause warping over time.
The bottom line on materials: recycling code 3 on the bottom of a plastic product indicates PVC. Some, but not all, plastics marked with recycling code 3 or 7 may contain BPA. Avoiding products with those codes — and prioritizing food-grade silicone or natural alternatives with documented third-party certification — is the most reliable way to keep these chemicals out of your baby’s mouth.