Condoms 'too big' for Indian men

A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men.

The study found that more than half of the men measured had penises that were shorter than international standards for condoms.

It has led to a call for condoms of mixed sizes to be made more widely available in India.

The two-year study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Over 1,200 volunteers from the length and breadth of the country had their penises measured precisely, down to the last millimetre.

The scientists even checked their sample was representative of India as a whole in terms of class, religion and urban and rural dwellers.

The conclusion of all this scientific endeavour is that about 60% of Indian men have penises which are between three and five centimetres shorter than international standards used in condom manufacture.

Doctor Chander Puri, a specialist in reproductive health at the Indian Council of Medical Research, told the BBC there was an obvious need in India for custom-made condoms, as most of those currently on sale are too large.

The issue is serious because about one in every five times a condom is used in India it either falls off or tears, an extremely high failure rate.

And the country already has the highest number of HIV infections of any nation.

'Not a problem'

Mr Puri said that since Indians would be embarrassed about going to a chemist to ask for smaller condoms there should be vending machines dispensing different sizes all around the country.

"Smaller condoms are on sale in India. But there is a lack of awareness that different sizes are available. There is anxiety talking about the issue. And normally one feels shy to go to a chemist's shop and ask for a smaller size condom."

But Indian men need not be concerned about measuring up internationally according to Sunil Mehra, the former editor of the Indian version of the men's magazine Maxim.

"It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters," he said.

"From our population, the evidence is Indians are doing pretty well.

"With apologies to the poet Alexander Pope, you could say, for inches and centimetres, let fools contend."

By Damian Grammaticus
BBC News, Delhi

What Factors Would Affect the Biodegradability of Natural Rubber Latex Products?

Manufacturer: We are a group of 3 students studying the biodegradability of natural rubber latex dipped products. We would appreciate very much if you could give us some information on the major factors influencing biodegradability of latex products.

John Woon (Senior Latex Consultant): I'm happy to learn of your interest in biodegradability (sometimes referred to as the ability to undergo environmental degradation) of latex products. This study would be important from the point of view of waste disposal. Microbial degradation or disintegration of rubber products are largely affected by the following:

1) Crosslink density - usually measured indirectly via the modulus.
2) Filler loading - Under different conditions, this might increase or reduce the biodegradability.
3) Thickness of products -Thinner products with higher modulus or higher crosslink density could have lower degradation than thicker products with lower crosslink density. It has been reported that natural rubber latex condoms would not degrade as fast as the thicker latex examination gloves due mainly to the higher modulus of the condoms.
4) Ratio of surface area to volume. The higher the ratio, the higher would be the chances of degradation.
5) Generally, the higher modulus version of prevulcanized latex (PV) would degrade at a slower rate compared with the lower modulus version of PV.
6) The presence of polyunsaturation in natural rubber would further enhance the degradation through free radical chain reaction.
7) Microbiological degradation is often favoured by the absence of light, high humidity and adequate minerals.
8) pH - Bacteria function best in pH in the range of 5 to 7.

Rubber Producers Look to China for Recovery

According to btimes.com.my, "Rubber dealers expect China's appetite for the commodity to bounce back and pull their industry from the doldrums even as demand shrinks elsewhere, but recent defaults have made suppliers cautious.

As the global financial crisis puts the skids under the car sector, dealers are eyeing China, despite lingering distrust after it scrapped deals for as much as 200,000 metric tons last year, costing suppliers in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia millions of dollars. According to Djoko Said Damardjati, secretary-general of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries, which accounts for 90 percent of global output, China would have the quickest recovery based the current trend.