ONLY 100% NATURAL RUBBER The Hevea tree sap is the natural source of the material used to create these delightful little creatures. Lanco toys are made from 100% Natural Rubber, which is constructed from the sap/milk of the common rubberr tree - Hevea Brasiliensis. The rubber tree is harvested sustainably without the use of herbicides. The bark of the tree is 'tapped', this means cutting small slits into the bark, so that the white sap, known as latex, drips out and is caught in collecting cups. Tapping of rubber trees is done by hand. The natural rubber is safe, non-toxic and readily biodegradable. The molded latex is hand - painted with non-toxic,permanent certified lead-free paints. It is completly FREE of PVC, BPA, phthalate and Nitrosamines. Danger of PVC and BPA for your baby. Be careful still many major shops have products that have these in toys... Phthalates in PVC Phthalates (pronounced tha-lates) are plasticizers, softening agents used to make PVC flexible so that it can be used in toys, flooring and other products. Some phthalates have been linked to cancer, kidney and liver damage, and interference with hormonal activity. Because phthalates are not tightly bound to the plastic matrix of PVC plastic, they can migrate easily from the surface to other surfaces and the air. BPA Even extremely low levels of the compound, called Bisphenol A (BPA), produced genetic abnormalities, according to researchers. Environmental exposure to a widespread compound used to make common plastic food containers and baby bottles and to line tin cans interferes with cell division in the eggs of female mice, according to research. If cell division is disturbed, it can result in aneuploidy, or an abnormal number of chromosomes in the eggs. This condition is the leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects in humans, including Down Syndrome.