| Description | Please pass on to as many women as possible . . .If you are a woman
and use pads, but especially if you use tampons, read this and pass on
to your friends. (For the men receiving this e-mail, please forward it to
your friends, significant others, sisters, mothers, daughters, etc.)
Thanks!
Check the labels of the sanitary pads or tampons that you are going
to buy the next time, and see whether you spot any of the familiar signs
stated in this email.
No wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and
womb tumors. Have you heard that tampon makers include asbestos in
tampons? Why would they do this? Because asbestos makes you bleed more,
if you bleed more, you're going to need to use more. Why isn't this
against the law, since asbestos is so dangerous? Because the powers
that be, in all their wisdom (not), did not consider tampons as being
ingested, and therefore wasn't illegal or considered dangerous.
This month's Essence magazine has a small article about this and
they mention two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The
companies are Organic Essentials @(800)765-6491 and Terra Femme
@(800)755-0212. A woman getting her Ph.D. at University of Colorado
at Boulder sent the following: "I am writing this because women are
not being informed about the dangers of something most of us use -
tampons. I am taking a class this month and I have been learning
a lot about biology and women, including much about feminine hygiene.
Recently we have learned that tampons are actually dangerous (for
other reasons than TSS). I'll tell you this, after learning about
this in our class, most of the females wound up feeling angry
and upset with the tampon industry, and I for one, am going to do
something about it.
To start, I want to inform everyone I can, and e-mail is the fastest way
that I know how.
HERE IS THE SCOOP:
Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmful: 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 in order to view the product as pure and clean. The problem
here is that the dioxin produced in this bleaching process can lead to
very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially carcinogenic
(cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems.
It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower sperm counts for
men-for both, it breaks down the immune system. Last September the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that there really is
no set "acceptable" level of exposure to dioxin given that it is
cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes from
repeated contact (Karen Houppert "Pulling the Plug on the Tampon
Industry").
I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38
menstruating years "repeated contact", wouldn't you? Rayon
contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly
absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are
left behind in the vagina (as it usually occurs), it creates a
breeding ground for the dioxin.
It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just cotton
tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome) occurs.
WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?
Using feminine hygiene products that aren't bleached and that are
all cotton. Other feminine hygiene products pads/napkins) contain dioxin
as well, but they are not nearly as dangerous since they are not in
direct contact with the vagina. The pads/napkins need to stop being
bleached, but obviously tampons are the most dangerous. So, what can you
do if you can't give up using tampons? Use tampons, that are made from 100%
cotton, and that are UNBLEACHED. Unfortunately, there are very, few companies
that make these safe tampons. They are usually only found in health food
stores. Countries all over the world (Sweden, Germany, Canada, etc.) have
demanded a switch to this safer tampon, while the U.S. has decided to keep
us in the dark about it. In 1989, activists in England mounted a campaign
against chlorine bleaching. Six weeks and 50,000 letters later, the makers of
sanitary products switched to oxygen bleaching (one of the green methods
available). (MS magazine, May/June 1995).
WHAT TO DO NOW:
Tell people. EVERYONE. Inform them. We are being manipulated by this
industry and the government, let's do something about it!
Please write to the companies: Tampax (Tambrands), Playtex, O.B.,
Kotex. Call the 800 numbers listed on the boxes. Let them know that
we demand a safe product - ALL COTTON UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.
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