Are your sanitary products damaging your health?

There is now a wealth of evidence to show that tampons and sanitary towels can be the cause of minor irritation in many women and lead to serious health problems for an unfortunate few. Discarded pads are also a major environmental and health hazard as any ecologist or sewage worker will testify.

The aim of this site is to alert women to some of the dangers and suggest healthier options.

Sanitary pads and panty shields
The best interests of the consumer have not been the greatest priority in the developments and modifications in pads and shields over the last 70 - 80 years. Chlorine bleaching of the wood pulp used in pads exposes both women and the environment to dioxin. Man-made fibres and absorbent chemicals have replaced natural alternatives for the sake of convenience but rayon still has to be bleached to make it fully absorbent.

Modern brands often use a plastic "dry weave" cover sheet this has been directly linked to allergic reactions. [The Canadian Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology]

Women who suffer every month with  irritation or  pain may eventually be referred to a gynaecologist. If they are lucky their specialist may be aware of the problems that can be caused by an allergy to man made fibres and other chemicals in sanitary products and underwear.

The normal test for such an allergy is to tape a conventional high street ultra thin towel to the small of the back to assess the effect. Redness and itchiness are a clear indicator of an allergic reaction. Women have reported the excruciating pain as their raw flesh is being pulled away when the pad is removed! Whilst there is no specific research about the number of women with allergic reactions to sanitary products, the industry acknowledges that as many as 5% of women have some form of allergy to man made fibres.

Some doctors are becoming aware of this condition and the immediate recommendation is the total avoidance of all conventional high street products in favour of organic cotton or natural, non-chlorine bleached alternatives.

Most women seem to experience minor irritation at some time but if you are experiencing regular vulval pain there are some simple self help rules suggested by the Vulval Pain Society.

It is no surprise that many women are now using natural alternatives that are totally biodegradable and not chlorine bleached. Some are even rediscovering the habits of their great-grandmothers and exploring the benefits of washable pads. The are several types available made from organic cotton jersey and will last for years thus providing sound economic and environmental justification.

Tampons
The mucosal lining of the vagina is one of the most sensitive and absorbent areas of the body yet each month women expose themselves to a variety of hazards through the use of tampons.

The majority of tampons manufactured today contain rayon and synthetics despite medical advice that the safest material is 100% pure cotton [Tierno and Hanna, Journal of Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2:140-145 (1994)]

Unfortunately, for the general public, manufacturers in the UK are not required by law to provide a full list of ingredients on tampon packaging. Consequently, UK women may not be aware that they are using products containing rayon and other additives.

Consumers in the US are better informed and the issue of tampon safety has a much higher profile. When Tambrands launched their 100% all-cotton tampon in the US a legal challenge asserted that at least 10% of the solid material found in the overwrap was not cotton.

It is also clearly unacceptable that only manufacturers currently conduct research into the safety of tampons. The Government must heed calls for independent research and tighter regulation and labeling. After all, far more women are exposed to tampons than ever smoked a cigarette!

For tampon users there are three major areas of concern:

1. Dioxin
Dioxin pollution is a serious worldwide environmental problem and research suggests that dioxin can disrupt hormones within the body. Dioxin is a potentially harmful byproduct of the chlorine bleaching process used in the wood pulp industry, which includes the manufacture of feminine hygiene products, such as pads, panty shields and tampons made from rayon or rayon/cotton blends.

Dioxin is found throughout the environment in varying levels and collects in the fatty tissues of animals, including humans. Due to the fact that a woman may use as many as 11,000 tampons in her lifetime, she may be subjecting herself to additional dioxin exposure.

Evidence is growing that even low levels of dioxin may be linked to breast cancer, cancer, endometriosis, low sperm counts and immune system suppression.

Rayon itself may pose a further risk because of allergic reactions. It is a wood pulp derivative that is commonly chlorine-bleached and is used widely as it is more absorbent than cotton.

Additives such as surfactants are also used in tampons to increase absorbency. Surfactants and fragrances may pose additional unnecessary health risks when used in feminine hygiene products. Further independent research into the role of surfactants and other additives in tampons is urgently needed.

2.Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) and tampons
Results of a study published in Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynaecology suggest that the use of all-cotton tampons may reduce the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome when compared with rayon and rayon-blend tampons. All-cotton tampons did not produce the dangerous TSS toxin, Staphylococcus aureus, while all other varieties of tampons containing rayon amplified production of the toxin TSS-T1.

TSS is a rare illness caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria but there are up to 20 confirmed cases in Britain each year, half of them occurring in menstruating women who are using high absorbency tampons.

Tampons may facilitate the infection because their use may cause lacerations and ulcerations of the vaginal wall, which allow bacteria to enter. Super absorbent tampons are especially dangerous, since in some cases they expand so much they actually adhere to the vaginal wall. When the tampon is removed, a layer of the vaginal lining may be scraped or peeled off.

Symptoms of TSS can occur suddenly, usually during or just after a menstrual period. The more common symptoms include a high fever (over 102° F), vomiting, diarrhoea, a sunburn-like rash, and drop in blood pressure. Muscular aches and pains, headaches, sore throat and confusion may also appear. These symptoms require prompt medical attention as it is a potentially life-threatening infection. Three percent of women who get TSS die from it. Individuals who are hospitalised and who receive immediate treatment usually recover within 2-3 weeks.

Medical advice is that the risk of developing TSS can be greatly reduced by avoiding super absorbent tampons, by using tampons made from 100% cotton, by changing the tampons frequently, alternating the use of tampons with pads during the period, and by avoiding night time usage.

3. Genetically modified cotton
Genetically modified food and crops are a cause of major public concern and there is an increasing groundswell against GM cotton for clothes. Perhaps it is the lobbying power and advertising budgets of the sanitary protection industry, or the domination of men in the media, that has kept the issue of GM cotton in tampons out of the public gaze.

GM sourced cotton is likely to be found in any cotton product and most tampons on the market today contain around 25% cotton fibre

50% of the cotton grown worldwide (excluding Organic cotton) is Genetically Modified.

There is no research to support the claim that tampons containing GM cotton have been safely evaluated before placing them on the market and tampons containing GM cotton will not be voluntarily labelled by the industry unless the Government legislates for labelling.