Part 1, Tampax Tampons: Toxic Sticks of Death
Who didn’t love their acid wash jeans? You know… the kind, as pictured above, that came up so high you barely needed to wear a shirt? Ever wonder what kind of chemical mess went into getting those hot and sexy bleached out patterns into our denim? Well, my fair fertile ladies, it was not so different from the chemical soup that bathes the tampon.
Originally tampons were made of 100% cotton. When women complained of seepage, manufacturers increased the absorbency by blending the cotton with highly absorbent synthetic fibers including polyester, polyacrylate rayon, carboxymehtylcellulose and viscose rayon. Huh? Huh? And what? In the early 80’s there was noise made about tampons when 38 women died of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a bacterial infection linked to the use of high absorbency tampons. Following these events, though denying ties to these deaths, tampon manufacturers changed the formulation of their tampons. In private testing, it was determined that these synthetic materials were attracting the bacteria that lead to TSS. The lesser of the evil synthetics was the rayon/viscose blend and this is what remains in conventional tampons.
Most tampons are treated with chemicals that have no place in the vagoojey. Just as I say heck no to Cottonseed oil, it is for the same reason I say heck no to sticking toxic cotton up into my nethers. Did ya know that 84 million pounds of pesticides are sprayed on 14.4 million acres of conventional cotton grown each year in the US. Forget food, these chemicals are some of the most toxic used in agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency has declared seven of the top 15 to be ‘possible’, ‘likely’, ‘probable’, or ‘known’ human carcinogens. Can someone say vaginal poisoning!
The rayon/viscose used in Tampax is made from wood pulp. Last I checked, there were no such thing as rayon trees and trees don’t magically turn into rayon- it takes hundreds of chemicals. The chlorine bleaching of wood pulp is where the greatest danger lies. The process creates chlorinated hydrocarbons, a hazardous group of chemicals with byproducts that includes dioxins, some of the most toxic substances known. Parts per million my cooch! There are no safe levels dioxins, they are impossible to break down and so keep building up in our tissues.
Wanna get chemical for a mo?
Responding to protest from the consumer and by the US government with the “The Women’s Health and Dioxin Act”, followed by the “Tampon Safety and Research Act.” (“Protect Women from Dioxin and Toxic Shock Syndrome”) the tampon industry changed its rayon bleaching method to Elemental Chlorine Free (EFC) bleaching. This method replaces chlorine gas with chlorine dioxide, recognized for its disinfectant properties. Chlorine dioxide kills microorganisms by disrupting transport of nutrients across the cell membrane. Now, think about this nugget for a minute. This is the ‘safe’ option for tampon bleaching that inhibits nutrient absorption. And we know what happens when we aren’t getting the goods from the foods we eat into our cells… we get sicky.
The makers use the theory that chlorine dioxide is far less reactive with organic materials than the previously used chlorine bleach. With no pure chlorine involved, EFC bleaching should theoretically result in a dioxin free product. This, however, is not the case. Studies have shown that the manufacturing of chlorine dioxide does not produce a pure product, as chemical reactions that take place during the bleaching process free elemental chlorine atoms, therefore releasing dioxin. The Worldwatch Institute has referred to ECF bleaching as a ‘low-tar cigarette’ strategy’, lowering the amount of dioxins, not eliminating them.
According to the Environment Protection Agency [EPA], no safe level for dioxin exposure exists. Very careful wording on the FDA website states that “some elemental chlorine-free bleaching processes can theoretically generate dioxins at extremely low levels, and dioxins are occasionally detected in trace amounts…”. Given that dioxin is cumulative and slow to disintegrate, the real danger comes from repeated contact. I think it’s safe to consider five days a month, 12 months a year, for nearly 40 years to be repeated contact.
Just in case dioxin contaminated rayon and pesticide soaked cotton weren’t enough, tampons also contain cocktail of extra chemicals that include absorbency enhancers, synthetic deodorants, and artificial fragrances.
Need I go on? Come back for more tomorrow. If you prefer, you can download my entire research paper with references, at no charge, here.
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I’m really looking forward to how many more words you’re going to come up with for vagina.
Scary information. So happy that I don’t put those sticks of death into my body anymore. It is mind blowing that they are so widely available, accepted and promoted in our society.
What I fail to understand is why tampons are still being sold? I know companies want to make money, but at the end of the day, everything is about marketing and branding. If the DivaCup gets the word out there and builds it’s brand, hopefully it will become more readily accepted over tampons.
xx
As always, you have so much knowledge and it is so greatly appreciated!
Wow, that’s really information…Thanks for sharing! I’ve actually been a Diva Cup user for a few months now and now I definitely feel that decision is validated! I’m in the process of converting my mother as well.
Great job with the info! Are you suggesting all tampons are toxic? I buy mine from TJ’s or WF’s.
i have the same question as dakota.
Send a Diva Cup my way, consider me a convert!
I happened upon the diva cup just a few days before you started writing this, I thankfully have never used tampons but so many of my friends do, I find it just plain scary!
I like how you explain all of this and I hope I can get some of my friends to read it as well and do something better for their bodies!
I can’t wait for the day when I talk to young girls and say “yeah, back when I was young, we had to use these awful contractions called tampons….” and see the horrified looks on their faces. I say, it’s time for diva cups to Take Over… are we ready to reclaim the health of our nethers?
Once again thanks for all the great info!
Latex is a chemical, right? So it doesn’t have any place in the “vagoojey”?
I only use organic tampons from the healthfood store or TJ’s. I’ve often wondered about trying the Diva Cup.
Doesn’t it become messy?
I use Gladrags, but would love to try the Diva cup.
I am so happy that people are becoming aware of what they put next to the most sensitive skin on their body. This was very well written. Thank you. For the women who use disposable pads out there, they are made with the same materials or worse. The ultra thin pads get their absorbency from super absorbent chemicals and or gels. Yuck! I switched from tampons to cloth menstrual pads about a year ago, and I love it. For the women who want to switch but not up to the Diva Cup yet, this is a valid choice. I get mine from http://www.partypantspads.com/ and http://living.wallypop.net/cyclepads.html mostly. Just do a search for cloth menstrual pads or momma pads. There are lots of small business owners out there who make them to sell, or you can make them yourself. Cleaning them isn’t gross either. I just rinse the use out of mine (in the shower at the end of the day), toss them into a “wet bag” or pail (no soaking), and wash them at the end of the week with a load of towels.
The Diva Cup is a godsend! I love it…cheaper in the long run, easier to manage, doesn’t create the waste…and let’s be honest…the waste doesn’t smell good either! Diva Cup does it
Love my Diva Cup. I am shuddering at that Acid Wash jean picture, though. YIKES!!!
A friend of mine read my blog about this from the other day and is considering giving diva cups a shot! Mwhahahaha! We will save the world one woman at a time!!
Sorry… spazzed out a bit there, didn’t I.
I’m definitely interested in trying a diva cup, once I work up the courage and can find one! For now I’m using Natracare tampons… they’re supposed to be organic cotton so I hope they’re okay!
It’s only messy if you are not paying attention when removing it. It is essentially a cup full of menstrual fluid so ya, if you aren’t careful you could potentially spill it somewhere that you don’t want it to go. If you are removing it over a toilet ( as you should be) then it will just “spill” into the toilet. Personally I have never made a mess with my DivaCup; you just remove, empty and either wipe out or rinse out (depending on where you are) and re-insert.
I really wish Diva cup worked for me, but it doesn’t (at least not for 2-3 days of my cycle). I am one of those women who has SUPER heavy flow. As in I can leak through a super plus tampon in 2 hours.
I also have heard stories about women (from their mouth, not urban legends) where they have had the dive cup come off in the middle of the day (while at work) and they have had menstrual fluid gush down their legs. I admit I am a bit too terrified of this happening to even attempt the diva cup.
I am also not a big fan of bodily fluids. Menstrual fluid is no more gross than any other bodily fluid, but I also don’t pick my nose or spit on my hands and wipe my face off. I would have just as much issue if I was wiping myself with a washcloth instead of toilet paper (which some uber eco-conscious people do).
I would really love to know if there are any good tampons out there that are NOT dangerous to use, and also would love to know if they actually work. I would be more than willing to spend a little extra if there is a better option when it comes to tampons.
For those of you who can use the Diva cup…hooray! I wish I could 1. physically use them and 2. mentally get over the bodily fluid factor.
Hello Meghan,
I truly appreciate your illuminating article of the dangers of the pesticide and bleach saturated tampons we’ve become accustomed to using for generations. There can never be enough awareness-raising information and insight on this topic which goes largely untouched by mainstream press. With an an alarming increase in various reproductive cancers and disorders, women are eager to learn more about quality alternatives available to them.
Naturally for Her http://www.naturallyforher.com provides a comprehensive selection of trusted natural, organic and hormone-free fertility and sexual health products, including the premium Natracare line…which we love! In November they will expand their offering to include 30+ new products including reusable Luna Pads and the Diva Cup.
In this climate of uncertainty around the quality and safety of the food we consume and the products we have been told to trust, consciousness building is key!
I would recommend the all natural, all cotton ones.
It is silicone.
The cup is actually ideal for women like yourself with really heavy flow as it can hold a lot more fluid than any tampon ever could.
Have you actually tried the DivaCup yourself?
It sounds like the people you have been speaking to about the DivaCup were not inserting it properly and making sure it was properly sealed. When used properly the DivaCup creates a vacuum seal against the vaginal wall so there isn’t really any way for it to “come off” unless you reach in and break the seal.