|
|
WARNING: USE TAMPONS AT YOUR OWN RISK
By ChristieLyn Diller
Women, the tampons you are using may be seriously harming your bodies.
Tampons are made out of cotton and rayon, two materials that undergo a chlorine bleaching procedure. The bleaching procedure both produces and releases dioxins, a collection of dangerous toxins that a woman’s body absorbs through mucous membranes.
SEAC (Student Environmental Action Coalition) national member Gypsy spoke March 1, 2003 at the SEAC regional conference in Syracuse, NY on the harmful effects of tampon use.Using a water bottle Gypsy illustrated the rayon content of tampons (derived from wood pulp) by submerging a tampon in the water for around three hours. By the time of her demonstration the wood pulp particles were clearly visible floating in the cloud of water and swelled tampon.
“Wood pulp,” Gypsy said, “Cuts up the inside of your vagina and makes you bleed more.” In addition the chlorine bleach creates trace amounts of dioxins, estimated at 0.1 to 1 part per trillion per tampon. Dioxins are endocrine disruptors, toxins known to cause cancer, infertility, and weaken the immune system. The FDA feels that this is not a substantial health concern.
“A part per trillion is about the same as one teaspoon in a lake fifteen feet deep and a mile square. This is far below the threshold that EPA believes puts consumers at risk for cancer or other adverse effects,” The FDA reported on July 23, 1999.
Dioxins bioaccumulate. This means that your body stores dioxin in the fat cells of your body and does not release them. While one tampon individually has microscopic traces of dioxin, the toxin collects from repeated use of tampons over a woman’s lifetime menstrual cycle.Tampons are also hurting women’s wallets and the environment. “Paper and pulp compost is the third highest polluter in the U.S. Gypsy said. Gypsy also pointed a finger at capitalism and the corporations that manufacture tampons. Items that are sold for medical use are tax-free; tampons however, are not. Gypsy reported a trend in minimizing packaging. She contends that as the number of tampons included in a package decrease, the price increases.
There are alternative products besides the tampons distributed by major companies. Ruth Zisman, an environmental activist from Vassar College advocates alternatives.“I think if you feel the need to use tampons, organic tampons are the way to go. Tampons have become the easiest thing for women. There needs to be more research on ways to make tampons more safe or more research into other alternatives,” Zisman said.
Organic tampons, although a bit pricier, do not undergo the chlorine bleaching process, and do not contain rayon.
"Cups" such as Instead or The Keeper, are reusable plastic or rubber devices that fit snuggly to the cervix. The Keeper can be purchased for between $20 and $30, and can last for ten years. Reusable pads are another option. These can be purchased or made at home out of cotton or terrycloth and can be easily thrown into a load of laundry. The sea sponge is another option, which can be used for up to four cycles.The tampon debate between eco-feminists and the FDA continues with no resolution.
“State-of-the art testing of tampons and tampon materials that can detect even trace amounts of dioxin has shown that dioxin levels are at or below the detectable limit. No risk to health would be expected from these trace amounts,” the FDA reported.