This is probably true but I haven't checked it out.....smile Z

[Guest guest]

>> Please read & pass on....

>>

>> 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...

>>

>> Please pass on to as many women as possible!

>>

>> If you use pads, but especially if you use tampons read this and pass

>> on to your friends (for the men receiving this email, please forward it

>> to your friends, significant others, sisters, mothers,daughters,etc.)

>>

>> thanks!

>>

>> 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 breathed in, and herefore

>> 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.

>> Put your money in companies that care about women's health.

>>

>> A woman getting her Ph.D. at University of Colorado, 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 (toxic shock syndrome) 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 email 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 the bleaching process can

>> lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially

>> carcinogenic(cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and 20

>> 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 ( 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 is " 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 also leaves behind

>> the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just cotton

>> tampons. Longer time in the body is 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,very few

>> companies that make these safe tampons. They are usually only found

>> in health food stores. Countries all over the world (Sweden, Germany,

>> and England, 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.

>>

>>

>> Reminder: P.S. In order not to lose the impact of this email, I suggest

>> that anyone who want to forward to your friends, PLEASE copy this mail

>> and paste to a NEW message. That way will not distort the whole message

>> with all the forward arrows. Please do this with consideration and

>> seriousness