Re: The Hygiene Industry

[Guest guest]

To the women who use Vitex for bleeding from fibroids, do take the pills

everyday or only during your period?

The Hygiene Industry

This article was sent to me by a relative a few weeks ago and wan't news to

me but thought

to post it anyway. Pam/astrogril

Women are also

manipulated by the tampon/feminine hygiene companies. The industries

biggest accomplishment has been to convince us that the whole process is

dirty, smelly, and to be avoided at all costs. They've done a pretty good

job of separating us from this natural phenomenon. It's always a good

idea

to be more aware of what we do to our bodies and be aware of who puts out

the information. sc

This is outrageous!!! I am going to look into this further. BK

HEALTH

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 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 @

and Terra Femme @(800)755-0212.

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 woman, 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 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 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 ( 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 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

ince 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, German, British Columbia, etc.) have

demanded a switch to this safer tampon, while the US 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.

> > Thank you.

> >

> > Donna C. Boisseau & C. Baker;

> > Assistants to Dr. B.S. Katzenellenbogen,

> > Professor University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;

> > Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology;

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