This is such a valid question, as of 6 years ago I finally listened to my body and switched to organic cotton and chlorine free tampons and sanitary napkins! I know you are probably thinking "organic cotton and chlorine free...is it really that serious? I'll let you be the judge...
There would come a point during EVERY one of my menstrual cycles where I would experience pain, discomfort, and almost a burning sensation when a tampon was inserted or after it had been in place for a certain amount of time, and just to be clear...I change my feminine care products every two hours regardless of the care products directions or the heaviness of my flow. I would always "fix" this issue by removing the tampon and switching to a pad for a few days, thinking I was giving my body a rest from tampons. However, I never took the time to think about what I was actually giving my body a rest from and what my consistent discomfort actually meant! So, when I did pay it attention I planned to begin my menstrual cycle as usual by wearing my normal tampons, and switching to an organic cotton and chlorine free tampon when the discomfort began...AND...it was like magic...the discomfort and all of its extra symptoms went away!!!??????
Now, I have to caveat this by saying that my body is very very sensitive to a number of things, including Tide laundry detergent, certain fabrics, certain bathing soaps, etc. So, it may just be that I am very sensitive and non-organic cotton and chlorine filled tampons and sanitary napkins only cause issues for me, but with that said I stumbled across a lot of interesting information regarding the ingredients, and processing of our EVER so convenient and life-saving monthly friends.
THE RESIDENCE OF "THE TAMPON"...
For starters, tampons (or plugs, which are their French names), are placed in our vaginas which are composed of fatty tissues and glands. This area happens to be one of the most absorbent tissue areas in our bodies. The fat tends to store chemicals, meaning whatever chemicals we place against this tissue will be stored in the fatty tissue and/or absorbed into our bloodstream! However, even though the vagina is very absorbent it also has its own constant self cleaning process, to expel elements that are not native to or needed in that area.
THE PARTS OF "THE TAMPON"...
Tampons usually have:
- A cord - which can be made of polyester or cotton
- The body of the tampon (the cork) - which is made of a combination of cotton, rayon, and cellulose fiber
THE CHEMICAL BREAK-DOWN OF "THE TAMPON"...
- Polyester - is a synthetic fiber made from petroleum, coal, and water through a chemical reaction with alcohol and acid. It is like a plastic cloth that doesn't absorb moisture, but will absorb oils. It is used in the lining of feminine care products, the wrappers, and in the coating of their applicators.
- Rayon - is the first semi-synthetic fiber made by man, because it is made from naturally occurring polymers or wood pulp, which are bleached white. This chlorine bleaching process of the wood pulp creates dioxin (more about dioxin below). Rayon also increases the absorbency of tampons which increases the incidence of toxic shock syndrome (TSS).
- Cotton - which happens to be the non-organic conventionally grown cotton, which has been sprayed by pesticides and herbicides which both happen to be carcinogens.
- Dioxin - also known as chlorine dioxin, is used in the bleaching process of tampons and sanitary napkins. Traces of dioxin along with other chemicals can be found in our everyday environment as well. The FDA admits that tampons may, “theoretically generate dioxins at extremely low levels” but there is no cause for alarm. However, the EPA says that there is NO safe level at which dioxin exposure should exist. The EPA has also found that dioxins can cause cancer in animals, damage the immune system, and reduce fertility over long periods of time.
HOW DO THESE CHEMICALS AFFECT THE FEMALE BODY...
- Dioxin:
- Acts as an anti-estrogen, so it interferes with...
- the development of the female body and the secondary sexual characters
- height increases in females during puberty,
- the burning of body fat and reduction of muscle bulk,
- the stimulation of growth of the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium) during the menstrual cycle,
- uterine growth,
- lubrication of the vagina,
- the thickness of the vaginal wall,
- the blood vessels to the skin,
- bone resorption and bone formation,
- protein synthesis,
- hepatic production of binding proteins,
- coagulation proteins (blood clotting elements) (factors II, VII, IX, X, plasminogen),
- platelet adhesiveness and increase antithrombin III (blood clotting elements),
- good cholesterol (HDL) and also triglycerides,
- the decrease of LDL (bad cholesterol) and the promotion of fat deposition,
- blood levels of estrogen and periods of sustained estrogen at low levels correlate with significant mood lowering in women.
- Considered a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP), which slowly over time accumulates in our bodies. This pollutant is carried in the air, in our water systems, in feminine care products, most paper products we use including napkins, paper towels, tissues, make-up removal pads, toilet paper, diapers, ect.
- The EPA’s report on carcinogens, notes dioxin as a “known human carcinogen”. Studies have shown dioxin to trigger biological responses within the body that are carcinogenic processes (cancer processes), these include gene expression, altered metabolism, altered cell growth and differentiation, as well as steroid-hormone and growth-factor transduction pathways.
- Polyester and Rayon:
- Negatively affects our fertility,
- Polyester alone off gases (expels gases) and causes skin irritation,
- Abrasive to the delicate tissues of the labia and vagina, leading to scratches and ulcerations (making these areas prone to infection and scar tissue growth),
- Rayon produces cuts and ulcerations on the cervix, and vaginal walls during insertion and removal of the tampon (making these areas prone to infection and scar tissue growth),
- Both leave microscopic fibers that affect the vaginal walls and ultimately end up in the blood stream.
- Cotton:
- The cotton we grow today uses about 2.4% of our land, but accounts for 24% of the world's insecticide market, making cotton the world's most insecticide/herbicide-heavy crop.
- Just to place things into perspective:
- In California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are cancer-causing chemicals (cyanazine, dicofol, naled, propargite and trifluralin),
- In 1995, pesticide-contaminated runoff from cotton fields in Alabama killed 240,000 fish,
- An estimated 67 million birds are killed each year by stray pesticides.
RUNNING A FEW NUMBERS...
Using my tampon usage numbers to calculate possible exposure to tampon related chemicals:
- I change my tampons once every 2 hours during my menstrual cycle (no matter the flow variance and during the night) = 12 tampons a day during my menstrual cycle
- My cycle usually last for about 6 days/month = 72 tampons/month = 864 tampons/year
- I will have my cycle for approximately 45 years = 38,880 tampons in my lifetime
- I will use 38,880 tampons in my lifetime
- 38,880 tampons = WAY TOO MUCH EXPOSURE TO HARMFUL ELEMENTS
Even if the exposure to these harmful elements according to the FDA are small, the individual small amounts will accumulate over a period of time in to a large amount of exposure, especially when I'm calculated to use close to 39,000 tampons in my lifetime (especially in an area where the tissue has a high absorbency rate), and that's just for the usage of tampons. I haven't even included my usage of sanitary napkins!
WHAT IS BEING DONE TO HELP THIS SITUATION?
The FDA has stated that
- Tampons are placed through a state-of-the-art process where their dioxin content is measured, and the dioxin content of the tampons are at or below the detectable numbers, meaning the amount of dioxin in tampons are considered to be "trace" amounts, and no health risk is expected from these trace amounts. The keyword here is EXPECTED.
- The older bleaching method for the tampon materials was one source of dioxin productivity. However, that process is no longer being used and instead the elemental chlorine-free or totally chlorine free bleaching processes are used. These methods for purifying wood pulp are described below:
- Elemental chlorine-free bleaching refers to methods that do not use elemental chlorine gas to purify the wood pulp. These methods include the use of chlorine dioxide as the bleaching agent. Some elemental chlorine-free bleaching processes can theoretically generate dioxins at extremely low levels, and dioxins are occasionally detected in trace amounts in mill liquid waste and pulp (a soft, wet, shapeless mass). In practice, however, this method is considered to be dioxin free?
- Totally chlorine-free bleaching refers to the use of bleaching agents that contain no chlorine. These methods are dioxin-free, and include, for example, the use of hydrogen peroxide as the bleaching agent.
- The FDA has asked tampon manufacturers to provide information regarding their pulp purification processes and possibilities of dioxin contamination. These test results were from independent testing facilities that placed the tampon materials under a highly technical testing process, and the detectable limit of this assay is currently approximately 0.1 to 1 parts per trillion of dioxin. In better terms, "1 part per trillion is about the same as one teaspoon in a lake that is fifteen feet deep and a mile square"(U.S. Food and Drug Administration). The FDA also feels that the "risk assessment indicates that this exposure is many times less than normally present in the body from other environmental sources, so small that any risk of adverse health effects is considered negligible"(Medical Devices).
MY SOLUTION...
Before I was made aware of the information presented above, I had already switched to organic cotton and chlorine free tampons and sanitary napkins, and I thank my body for being so sensitive. Otherwise, I may still be using non-organic cotton female products. The tampons and sanitary napkins that I use are made by Seventh Generation, which is the company that also makes the chlorine/bleach free diapers that we used for our son's sensitive skin when he was younger. Here are a few of the Seventh Generation female products that I use.
Chlorine free ultra-thin pads with wings
Chlorine free maxi and ultra-thin with wings, and overnight pads
NEW Chlorine free pantiliners
Chlorine free maxi and ultra-thin with wings, and overnight pads
Organic cotton super-plus tampons (with or without applicator)
Organic cotton super tampons (with or without applicator)
Organic cotton regular tampons (with or without applicator)
The Seventh Generation brand is the brand that I chose due to the fact that we were already using their diapers and pull-ups, and I was familiar with the brand. However, there are a number of other organic cotton and chlorine free female products on the market, that I'm sure work just as well. I have included a few pictures of how these tampons look during their absorption and expansion process. The pictures may seem a bit obsessive to some (call me obsessive...lol), but these are things that I would like to know when being introduced to a new product prior to purchasing it.
Original packaging of regular (top), and super (bottom) tampons
Tampons after removing packaging regular (top), super (bottom)
Tampons with cotton slightly pushed out of applicator regular (top), super (bottom)
Tampon cotton outside of cardboard applicator, in its original state upon insertion
regular (top), super (bottom)
Tampon expansion about 3 seconds after insertion into a glass of water.
WARNING, I'm not sure how fast the tampon would actually start
absorbing/expanding upon vaginal insertion,
as water and blood are of two different consistencies.
Expansion from the front
Expansion from a side view
Expansion from the back
Expansion held after an hour, without water leakage into the sandwich bag
Expansion from another awkward view. You can almost see the cotton strands in this picture.
I hope this information helps keep you informed about feminine products, and please feel free to research this topic on your own and comment. I'm positive that there is still plenty that I may not be aware of. I have included the links that I used to gather my information below.
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