You Ask, We Answer: Is Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) safe for babies?

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You Ask, We Answer: Is Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) safe for babies?

Janelle Sorensen

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Cindy Asks:

Babies put everything in their mouths so I am concerned about the foam ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) that is used for the interlocking foam tiles commonly used for baby/toddler play areas. Do you have any information about the safety of this substance? Thank you.

We Answer:

Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) has been the safer substitute for PVC for several years. According to Wikipedia, EVA is used as foam for various types of padding, in hot glue sticks, in plastic wraps, some artificial flowers, many Crocs brand shoes and accessories, and more.

One of the reasons EVA is superior to PVC in regards to health and environmental impacts is that it does not require the addition of chlorine (which leads to the generation of dioxin, a highly persistent carcinogen) and it doesn’t require plasticizers (like BPA or phthalates). It is safe enough to be recommended by our esteemed colleagues at Health Care Without Harm for use in neonatal intensive care units, so you shouldn’t worry about your baby playing on it or gumming it up a bit.

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Posted by Robert Haverlock on 12/20/2011 at 05:01 PM

I don’t think your telling the whole truth…or ignorant! Maybe better then PVC, yes, but does entitle one to think that you or they are greenwashing!

What gives?

Posted by Anna on 10/28/2011 at 06:45 PM

We have finally figured out that my 3-year old son is allergic to his crocs, which are made of EVA. He gets a rash for weeks even if he wears them with socks.

Posted by Yor Neer on 07/25/2011 at 06:59 AM

EVA foams often contain formamide to make the EVA foam soft and more pliable. In addition, other substances similar to formamide that could be present in EVA foam include: N,N- diméthylformamide (CAS 68-12-2) and N-méthylformamide (CAS 123-39-7), are also classified as toxic for reproduction as well as acetophenone (CAS 98-86-2), a substance classified as harmful and an irritant.

If you are in need of safe alternative to toxic foam mats for your baby or toddler for tummy time or playing then I recommend the Panda Mat. It is large 28 SF, soft, colorful and made from organic cotton. There are no fire retardants, or stain resistent chemicals and it does not contain formamide, azo dyes, plasticizers, phthalates, PVC or any other added chemicals. The core is a bamboo polyester blend and they post the results of their laboratory testing on their website blog. I highly recommend this product. www.pandamat.com

Posted by erik ruiz on 05/26/2011 at 07:02 PM

Who founded ethylene vinyl acetate and when was it founded?

Posted by Ice Bags on 04/16/2011 at 06:05 PM

EVA is commonly added to plastics to increase flexibility (it’s also used in mouthguards for athletes). We actually add it to all the plastic in our ice bags, because it prevents the plastic from cracking in cold temperatures.

Posted by Ulla Andersen on 12/14/2010 at 11:08 AM

Belgium and France have decided to ban all puzzle
mats because they found almost all brands include toxic chemical components.

See euronews link below:
http://www.euronews.net/2010/12/11/belgium-bans-toxic-children-s-puzzle-mats/

So, I’m confused. Are foam puzzle mats safe for our children to use, or not?

Posted by Michel on 09/20/2010 at 11:51 PM

You can read on this plastic supplyer website that EVA (ETHYLENE-VINYL ACETATE COPOLYMER) also contains a few (0.3%) VINYL ACETATE, which is carcinogen, so, is EVA really safe?

http://www2.dupont.com/Elvax/en_US/products/elvax_industrial_index.html

Posted by Darrell on 06/14/2010 at 12:43 AM

I have been using mandibulars to help stop snoring, these are made of EVA, how safe are they to be in the mouth over extended times while sleeping?

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