WOMEN BEWARE: Remember "Toxic Shock Syndrome" from the 80's and how it was linked to tampon use?
Well, there's a NEW toxic tampon shock going around. Makers of tampons and feminine pads have been using toxic chemicals and fragrances in these products and are under no legal obligation to let us know what these chemicals and fragrances are.
Women's Voices For the Earth, a group that amplifies women’s voices to eliminate the toxic chemicals that harm our health and communities, reports that pads and tampons are regulated as “medical devices” and not “personal care products,” and therefore companies aren’t required to disclose any of the ingredients used in these products.
They say test results show dioxins, furans and pesticide residues in tampons, and these have been linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and hormone disruption. THIS IS A BIG DEAL!!
Fragrances in these products -- the exact ingredients of which are kept secret -- are causing allergic rashes in some women. It's being said that Procter & Gamble (makers of Tampax and Always) uses harmful chemicals like styrene, pyridine and methyleugenol (linked to cancer) and synthetic musks like galaxolide and tonalide (potential hormone disruptors linked to increased risk of breast cancer) in their fragrances.
Mercola.com (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/22/feminine-hygiene-products.aspx) reports that to give tampons and pads that pristine, “clean” white look, the fibers used must be bleached. Chlorine is commonly used for this, which can create toxic dioxin and other disinfection-by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethane. Studies show that dioxin collects in your fatty tissues, and according to a draft report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dioxin a serious public health threat that has no "safe" level of exposure! Published reports show that even low or trace levels of dioxins may be linked to:
- Abnormal tissue growth in the abdomen and reproductive organs
- Abnormal cell growth throughout the body
- Immune system suppression
- Hormonal and endocrine system disruption
The harmful chemicals in these products come into contact with some of the most absorptive skin on our bodies!
UGH! Think about the CUMULATIVE effect of exposure to these products! One source says the average American woman uses up to 16,800 tampons in her lifetime!!
Where's the line for the CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT?
What can we do right now?
1) You can chose an organic alternative product.
2) Help spread the message by sharing this video ala Justin Timberlake and helping it go viral -- a little humor goes a long way in teaching women these products can be harmful to their health and increasing awareness to make these companies reveal ingredients and ditch the harmful chemicals.
3) Email the dudes in charge. Note that they are "dudes."
Robert McDonald, President and CEO
Procter & Gamble
Robert Bartolo, Director of Global Prod
Procter & Gamble
I'll leave it up to you what you'd like to say in that email, but Women's Voices For the Earth urges we write asking for full disclosure of ingredients and for P&G to ditch the chemicals.
Does this make anyone angry? COMMENT on this article below? Like the video? COMMENT.
Toxins Don't Belong in Feminine Products. Period.
~The Anti-Aging Analyst
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