The brief version of the section of my paper on tampon safety:
There are rumors on the internet that tampons have asbestos in them, and that there are dioxins in tampons from the bleaching process that cause cancer. The asbestos claim is false - tampons do not have asbestos in them. The dioxins, however, are another issue. Dioxins are the results of the process used to bleach tampons and pads. These chemicals cause cancer and are very, very potent. The FDA says that the level of dioxins actually present in tampons is very tiny and hardly detectable, and therefore, tampons (and similary bleached pads) are safe. However, the FDA has not done a totally independent study of the levels of dioxins, they've simply asked the companies to submit samples for testing. They also argue that dioxins are present in the environment due to pollution (hmm, i wonder who is (partially) respsonsible for making that pollution?), so women shouldn't be concerned about the teeny exposure to dioxins in tampons. However, exposure is exposure, and just because I am exposed to dioxin in the water, should I accept further exposure, however tiny, in my tampons? Women use a lot of tampons in their lives, and the effects of the teeny amounts of dioxins are cumulative. (Women take in twice their body weight in chemicals in their lifetime, whereas men take in only half their weight.) According to one doctor, who wrote a book on the subject, "a tablespoon of dioxins would be enough to kill the entire planet" (I'm not sure how, but that does put things in perspective a bit).
Switching to unbleached tampons helps, but conventionally-grown cotton is one of the most pesticide-intensive crops in commercial agriculture. About 10% of the world's pesticides and 22.5% of all insecticides are used on cotton. According to the Sustainable Cotton Project in California, nearly one-third of a pound of chemicals is used to make just one cotton T-shirt.
For non-bleached tampon alternatives, check out this page and click on the items for more information about them.
<< Home