AWCH Truth About Tampons

I recently received an email from a friend in the States about the dangers of tampons. I thought it was just another on one of those junk emails that get passed around by millions of people, and I almost did not even read it. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized that it was a serious email and one that demanded my full attention.

Even if you are not a tampon fan like myself, you have certainly used one or two in your lifetime just as I have. And for those of you who are regular tampon users, this information may come as quite a shock. What seems blatantly obvious now that I have heard about it, but what I never would have considered previously, is that tampons are, in fact, quite dangerous. And this is something that the tampon industry has been hiding from millions of women for decades!

Two issues are at stake: how do those tampons get so white? and how do they absorb so much fluid? The answer to question number one is that the cotton used in tampons is bleached white through a chlorine bleaching process, which produces dioxin as well as other contaminants as by-products which remain in the tampon. You may have heard of dioxin before (i.e. Agent Orange, Love Canal, Belgian poultry products, etc.), and it is not a friendly substance. According to a 1994 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, dioxins were found to cause cancer in animals and more than likely in humans too. And in 1996 the EPA found that exposure to dioxin increased the risk of developing endometriosis (a menstrual-related condition which eventually leads to infertility). Furthermore, high exposure to dioxin has also been linked with supressed immune systems, increased risk for pelvic inflamatory disease, reduced fertility and possibly to birth defects.

What’s worse about dioxins in tampons is that the chemical comes in direct contact with the most absorbant part of the woman’s body—her vagina. And even more frightening is that once dioxins are in the body, they stay there. This means that dioxin is cumulative and slow to disintegrate so the real danger comes from repeated exposure. Wouldn’t you call using 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38 mentstruating years "repeated contact"? (Houppert).

Not only do the dioxins in tampons effect the women who use them, but they also effect the environment in general. Most tampons end up getting flushed or dumped, which means that they end up in the water and the soil where they can further cause harm by releasing their poisons into the environment.

The answer to question number two, how tampons absorb so much fluid, is that synthetic fibers are used to maximize the tampon’s absorbancy. Not enough research has been done to quantify the dangers of synthetic fibers and other absorbancy additives, but it has been shown that synthetic fiber additives increase the potency of dioxin and how it is absorbed in the body.

Furthermore, anyone who has used a tampon has certainly heard about Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). In 1975 Procter & Gamble introduced a new super-absorbant tampon called Rely. In the ensuing years the Centers for Disease Control noticed an increase in the numbers of illnesses related to toxic shock occuring primarily in young, menstruating women. Soon other companies introduced similar super-absorbant products to remain competitive; but until the first deaths occurred, nothing was done about it. Scientists eventually realized that the super-absorbant synthetic fibers in tampons provided a prime breeding ground for staphyloccocus aureus bacteria, which is present, but dormant, in 15 per cent of women’s vaginas. TSS is the result of these bacteria running rampant in a woman’s reproductive system. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) response was to encourage women to use the lowest absorbancy possible, but no standardization in absorbancy levels for tampons was introduced until 1990, almost a decade after TSS became a problem.

So if using tampons is so dangerous, why has nothing been done about it? And why has the tampon industry been allowed to continue producing toxic products and offering them to the public for use with very few and limited warnings? The answer lies in the mentality of the US public. Let’s face it—who wants to talk about menstruation? In fact, the very first tampon and sanitary napkin advertisements did not even mention what they were advertising—they assumed that women would catch on, and we obviously did. We have been taught that menstruation is naughty—something to hide, something to keep secret. And did you know that at the corporate level at Tambrands (the company which produces Tampax) there are only two female VPs in comparison to six male VPs, and at the Tambrands International Corporate level there are no female VPs? As Houppert notes, "maybe this is the M-word no one dares speak?"

What can be done? It is not too late. Contact your State Representives and Senators and let them know that this is an issue that is important to you. Also call those 800-numbers on tampon boxes and let them know you demand a safe, toxic-free product.

Are there any alternatives out there? Well certainly, if you can find them. There is such a thing as a non-bleached, all cotton tampon. Check at your local health food store for these products—two companies who produce them in the US are Natracare and Terra Femme. In addition there are alternatives to tampons. Sanitary pads, while also victims of synthetic fibers and chlorine bleaching, do not come into direct contact with your vagina, and therefore are less dangerous than tampons. There are even some chlorine-free pads out there, produced by Seventh Generation and Today’s Choice. And have you heard of the Sea Sponge? Silk sea sponges can be custom-fitted and after sterilization in boiling water can be used similar to tampons. And then there is always the old standard, what our mothers and/or grandmothers used, only modernized, the cloth pad. Some companies manufacturing this product today include Glad Raggs, Many Moons, Modern Women’s Choice, and New Cycle Products.

Of course there are healthy products also available in Hamburg. I must admit to not having found any on any store shelves; but after a quick inquiry at my local organic food store, I was told that some could be ordered for me right away. One trade name is "Helen Harper" and this company produces not only un-bleached, 100% cotton tampons, but they also produce sanitary napkins and panty liners of equally non-toxic quality. A box of 16-count tampons runs around DM 4. The larger a box you purchase, the less expensive they are.