The Dangers of using Tampons
It is very important for all women to know about
the products they use!!!
If you use pads, but especially if you use tampons, you need to read this!

    A recent  Essence magazine has a small article about this and they mention two manufactures of cotton tampon alternative. The companies are Organics Essentials and Terra Femme.

     A woman getting her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA sent the following: "I am writing this because women are not being informed about the dangers of something most of us use tampons. I am taking a class this month and I have been learning a lot about biology and women, including much about feminine hygiene. Recently we have learned that tampons are actually dangerous (for other reasons than TSS). I'll tell you this, after learning about this in our class, most of the females wound up feeling angry and upset with the tampon industry, and I for one, am going to do something about it. To start , I want to inform every one I can, and email is the fastest way that I know how.

    Here is the scoop: Tampons contain certain things that are potentially harmful: Rayon (for absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). The tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white products - in order to view the products as pure and clean. The problem here is that the dioxin produced in the bleaching process can lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially carcinogenic (cancer associated) and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower sperm counts for men - for both , it breaks down the immune system.

    Last September the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that there really is no set 'acceptable' level of exposure to  dioxin given that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes from repeated contact (Karen Houppert "Pulling the Plug on the Tampon Industry"). I'd say using  about 4 - 5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38 menstruating years is "repeated contact", wouldn't' you?

    Rayon contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly absorbent    substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left behind in the vagina (as usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground for the  dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome) occurs.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

Use feminine hygiene products that aren't bleached and that are all cotton. Other feminine hygiene    products (pads/napkins) contain dioxin as well, but they are not nearly as dangerous since they are not in direct contact with the vagina. The pads/napkins need to stop being bleached, but obviously tampons are the most dangerous. So, what can you do if you can't give up using tampons? Use tampons that are made from 100% cotton, and that are UNBLEACHED.

    Unfortunately, there are very few companies that make these safe tampons. They are usually only found in health food stores. Countries all over the world (Sweden, Germany, British Columbia, etc.) have demanded a switch to this safer tampon, while the US has decided to keep us in the dark about it. In 1989, activists in England mounted a campaign against chlorine bleaching.

    Six weeks and 50,000 letters later, the makers of sanitary products switched to oxygen bleaching (one of the green methods available). (MS magazine, May/June 1995).

WHAT TO DO NOW:

Tell people. Everyone. Inform them.   We are being manipuladed by this industry, let's do something about it! Please write to the companies: Tampax (Tambrands), Playtex, O.B., Kotex.
    Call the 800 numbers listed on the boxes.
Let them know that we demand a safer product - ALL COTTON   UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.
Remember: PLEASE inform your friends. Please do this with consideration and seriousness.

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