--- title: "ER Doctor Issues Serious Warning About Titanium Sex Toys" description: "One ER doctor has issued a public service announcement nobody knew we needed: that titanium cock rings are, in fact, bad. " date: "2022-04-19" modified: "2022-04-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/er-doctor-titanium-toys" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Prosthetics and Devices" tags: - "emergency room" - "injuries" - "medical science" --- # ER Doctor Issues Serious Warning About Titanium Sex Toys ![One ER doctor has issued a public service announcement nobody knew we needed: that titanium genital jewelry is, in fact, bad. ]() *\Image: Futurism\* One ER doctor has issued a public service announcement nobody knew we needed: that titanium cock rings are, in fact, bad. Let's back up. Cock rings — we apologize, but [that's the official term]() — are devices that restrict blood flow from a penis, usually to help maintain erections. And according to [tweets from emergency room physician Dr. Alana Kinrich](), the process of removing a titanium cock ring is extraordinarily difficult, even with hospital-grade equipment. "If you come to the ER with a titanium cock ring that you cannot get off, our ring cutters are not sharp/strong enough to cut it," Kinrich warned, adding that such a visit "will result in us having to call the fire department to get their diamond saw." "This is a very undesired experience for everyone involved," she concluded, in what may be the biggest understatement of the year so far. Kinrich's PSA was predicated on another [purported emergency room physician post]() decrying titanium jewelry generally, which has become a popular ornamental metal because of its vivid coloration and supposedly hypoallergenic nature. That prior post said that titanium and stainless steel rings "seem cool until you can't get them off," and [in a followup tweet]() suggested people go with tungsten instead, which "is very hard but brittle" and "shatters either with pressure or with a hammer in case of emergency." Kinrich [added in her own thread]() that there's an easy failsafe to avoid having to use firefighter diamond saws: either making sure one's cock ring has a hinge mechanism or, preferably, just get a non-metal one. She also added that folks should never "use household items" for sexual purposes, in response yet an interlocutor who noted that people shouldn't put lightbulbs, um, where the sun don't shine. "Unbreakable and with a flared base for anal play, please," [Kinrich declared](). "There are so many good toys out there." **More on terrible dick ideas:** *[Man Horribly Injures Penis After Injecting It With Insulation Foam]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()