If you are a woman and use pads, but especially if you use tampons, read this and pass it on to your friends. For the men reading this please pass it on to women friends, significant others, sisters, mothers, daughters, etc. Thanks!
Check the labels of the sanitary pads or tampons that you are going to buy next time and see if you see any of the familiar signs in this letter. No wonder so many women in the world cervical cancer and womb tumors. They may not list “asbestos” as an ingredient but beware of any product that is not unbleached, organic cotton.
Have you ever heard that tampon makers include asbestos in tampons? Why would they do this? Because asbestos makes you bleed, if you bleed more, you will need to use more tampons…and this is money in the manufactures pocket the more we use and buy. Why isn’t this against the law since so much evidence that asbestos is so dangerous has been found? The powers that be, in all their wisdom (not), do not consider tampons as being “ingested”, and therefore asbestos as an ingredient isn’t considered illegal or dangerous.
In 2002, Essence magazine had a small article about this and they mention two manufactures of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies are Organic Essentials and Terra Femme. Many more companies have cropped up since then. Another thing to consider, although a little off-topic, is the fact that tampons and pads fill up and make quite a contribution to landfills. May I personally offer some wonderful alternatives? I have had great success with the sponge. It is reusable, renewable, and biodegradable. To find sponges go to and look for Sea Pearls. Also, check out The best thing ever is their Luna Panties Brief, a pair of panties that have a built the pad!
Need more information? Well here it is: Tampons contain two potentially harmful things, rayon for absorbency, and dioxin, a chemical used in bleaching the products. The tampon industry is convinced that we, as women need bleached white products to view them as “clean”. The problem here is that dioxin produced in this bleaching process can lead to harmful side effects. It is carcinogenic (cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis, lower sperm counts for men, for men and women it breaks down the immune system. The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that there really is no standard “acceptable” level of exposure to dioxin, given that it is accumulative in our bodies and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes from repeated contact (Karen Houppert “Pulling the Plug on the Tampon Industry”). Wouldn’t you agree using about 4–5 tampons a day, 5 days a month, for 38 menstruating years is “repeated contact”? Rayon contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from tampons are left behind in the vagina (as it usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground for the dioxin. It also stays longer than it would with cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome) occurs.
So now that you are informed, choose with your dollars, and send a message to the companies making unsafe products. Remember: 100% COTTON UNBLEACHED, or try some tampon alternatives from any of the websites previously mentioned. A great resource is your local health food store.