DOES BRAND MATTER? THE AIR INFLATION TEST ANSWERS
Before the current version of the condom was created, one form of contraception practiced was mixing crocodile waste with honey and placing inside the vagina of woman before sexual intercourse. Today’s condoms are a form of barrier contraception and is typically made from latex. In order to ensure that a condom serves its purpose, such as preventing pregnancies or the transmission of STDs/STIs, various studies or tests are conducted with condoms.
A Consumer Reports study was released in the late 1980s. In this study were laboratory tests of 16,000 prophylactics and a reader questionnaire that claimed that top-rated condoms protect one against AIDS, other STDs/STIs, and pregnancy. This study sparked a scientific debate of generic vulnerability of latex condoms. Does top brand really equate to a stronger and more quality condom? The Air Inflation Test was used to determine if condoms have pores that may allow anything to pass through.
Condoms are required to contain a certain amount of air pressure and volume without breaking. Amount of air depends on the width of the condom. In this test a condom is filled with air until it pops. At the time that the condom breaks, the amount or air and air pressure are measured. If the measured numbers are too small, the entire batch of the tested condom is discarded.
The Consumers Union used this method to test 40 latex condoms of which only 8 were satisfactory. The Consumers Union concluded that latex condoms did not have pores. However, a study conducted at UCLA contradicted this conclusion. This study found that 2 condoms tested by the Consumers Union did indeed have pores. The UCLA study sought to test condom effectiveness against AIDS in actual intercourse between gay men in Los Angeles. This resulted in the National Institutes of Health to cut funding for the study, ending it.
It is not recommended to judge a condom based on its ranking alone.
Researchers are still not sure if tests such as the Air Inflation Test accurately predict how condoms will perform during sex. Additionally, scientists have cautioned that pores in a condom resulting in transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies may be theoretical.
Sources:
Parachini, A. (1989, February 16). Consumers: Condom Test Stirs New Controversy. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-16-vw-3776-story.html
Collier, A. (2007). The humble little condom a history. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.
C. (n.d.). Burst volume and pressure tester. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.cpr-germany.com/en/burst-volume-and-pressure-tester
Reports, C. (2016). Cover Worthy: 80 Years of Consumer Reports Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.consumerreports.org/consumer-protection/cover-worthy-80-years-of-consumer-reports-magazine/
Condom Testing: Global Protection Corp. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://globalprotection.com/pages/condom-testing
Enersol, & YouTube Channel. (n.d.). Enersol Condom Inflation Burst Volume and Pressure Testing Equipment. Retrieved April 26, 2020, from http://www.enersol.com.au/EquipmentCondomInflation.html