Please use ORGANIC tampons and pads, not just cotton, as they’ll likely be made with GMO cotton, beach, chlorine and dioxin DBP’s. There are a few organic brands (TOM Organic are Australian) and both easily available from your health food shop ands some grocery stores.
Toxic ingredients found in tampons today include aluminum, alcohols, fragrance additives and hydrocarbons, and the bleaching process leaves behind dioxin. Dioxin is a toxic chemical (chlorine-compound) linked to cancer (and perhaps now to endometriosis). Dioxin can build up in your body over time – even the tiniest amount, found at parts per billion instead of million – could affect you. Europe doesn’t accept dioxin in their tampons and the ‘World Health Organization’ lists dioxin as a carcinogen.
Your skin is highly permeable — especially the skin around your vaginal area, not to mention inside the vagina. When chemicals come in contact with your skin, they are absorbed straight into your bloodstream without filtering of any kind, going directly to your delicate organs, and these chemicals accumulate. The average woman uses up to 16,800 tampons in her lifetime. Manufacturers of tampons and sanitary pads are not required to disclose the ingredients used because feminine hygiene products are considered ‘medical devices’.
According to Dr. Mercola’s research – ‘each conventional sanitary pad contains the equivalent of about four plastic bags! Chemicals in plastic like BPA and BPS disrupt embryonic development and are linked to heart disease and cancer. Phthalates — which give paper tampon applicators that smooth feel and finish — are known to dysregulate gene expression, and DEHP may lead to multiple organ damage. Besides crude oil plastics, conventional sanitary pads can also contain a myriad of other potentially hazardous ingredients, such as odor neutralizers and fragrances. Synthetics and plastic also restrict the free flow of air and can trap heat and dampness, potentially promoting the growth of yeast and bacteria in your vaginal area.
And what about the bleach used to make them perfectly white? 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
And GMO’s? 94 percent of all the cotton planted in the US is genetically engineered, so is inserting a GMO tampon into your vagina several times every month any different than ingesting GMO food? It may be worse, considering the fact that your vaginal wall is highly permeable, allowing toxins direct access into your bloodstream — be it pesticide residue or a GMO protein.’
Convinced to make the switch? Yeah me too. I personally use washable cloths made specifically for this purpose, and have done for years. I use organic tampons very rarely. Also look out for ‘sponges’ and ‘cups’.
