Natural rubber latex is an organic substance harvested from Hevea brasiliensis rubber trees. It is well known that natural rubber latex is biodegradable, as is Vytex® Natural Rubber Latex (NRL), and can return to nature in as little time as 6 months for a balloon or the time required for an oak leaf to biodegrade in nature. This is in stark contrast to frequently used synthetic alternative materials made from petroleum derivatives, such as PVC vinyl, styrene, nitrile, chloroprene and polyisoprene.

Petroleum based synthetic alternative materials are not biodegradable and disposal by incineration releases dioxin, cyanide, vinyl chlorides, hydrogen chloride and other harmful and toxic substances.

Environmental initiatives to use “green” products with reduced hazardous ingredients are gaining momentum globally. The state of California is leading the way when their Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enacted Proposition 65 in 1986 requiring public disclosure of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. The list of chemicals covered under Proposition 65 has grown to approximately 775 chemicals since its inception, including many of the synthetics in use today.

Vytex NRL is Proposition 65 compliant, a natural, and renewable resource, biodegradable and contains no known or suspected human carcinogens. The use of Vytex NRL provides a safer and healthier environment for consumers, workers and the planet.