I've seen
bits and pieces of tampon related
information on e2, in fact I went searching for as much of it as I could find, just because I think that it's important that people know exactly what they should be worrying about. The title of this node used to be "We'll absorb the worry", which is actually a
slogan from a once popular tampon brand,
Rely, whose product killed a number of
women.
Not all tampons are something to worry about, there are natural
all-cotton brands.. but the most popular and widely used products contain many
synthetic fibers that are extremely harmful to some people. TSS (
Toxic Shock Syndrome) is the biggest problem here, but it's not the only problem, and thus, I've decided to create this little
list of sorts in an attempt to
dissuade people from buying what is not only
harmful to them, but to the environment as well.
1.
Tampax,
Playtex, two of the most popular tampon brands tend to
increase the price of their product regularly while lowering the number of tampons that are actually in the box. This just
proves that these companies don't really care about the
consumer, a typical large business problem, really. They also know quite well that many of their products present a
considerable risk to your health.. they've shifted the responsibility to your shoulders by placing
warnings on the boxes.
2. The
cotton that is used in the production of tampons made by the major brands could possibly contain, at least
to some degree,
fertilizer,
pesticides,
herbicides, and a slew of other chemicals. This is because they don't pay particularly close attention to the
source of their cotton, money issues being prevalent here. These companies are not looking out for
you, you have to look out for yourself. Even "
Tampax Naturals" have been found to contain some synthetic fibers, though they claim that they don't. (I believe a
lawsuit is pending, here.) It should also be noted that most tampon products contain
chlorine/
bleach, which isn't particularly
healthy, either.
3.
Toxic Shock Syndrome is of course the best reason to avoid these products. People still
die from this, though not as frequently. The number of people who get incredibly sick from it hasn't dropped greatly by any
stretch of the imagination. You just don't hear about it all that often.. a nice example of
concealment in the industry.
4.
Plastic tampon applicators are a terrible environmental problem. It seems
foolish to contribute unnecessarily to our pollution problems, considering that it is true that they really aren't
necessary. No one likes to see applicators washed up on
beaches, etc., but it seems to happen an awful lot.
If you find that you simply must use a
tampon, at least take the time to learn exactly what you're purchasing. Organically made products are
available now, though they weren't at one time. I only know of one brand, personally, but I don't even use tampons.. "
Natracare" is supposed to be good. Any ways, just please look into these things, it really is
quite important.
The site I obtained some of this information, though I already knew much of it, is quite helpful. There are many others out there, so you've no excuse to not know these things!