l'industrie de l'hygiène féminine expose les femmes à des produits toxiques

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, did not consider them illegal or dangerous.

This month's Essence magazine mentions 2 manufacturers of a cotton tampon
alternative. The companies are: Organic Essentials @ 1-800-765-6491 and Terra Femme
@ 1-800-755-0212.
HERE IS THE SCOOP: Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmful: Rayon
(for absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching). 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, 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 sexes, it breaks down the immune system. Last
September, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that there really is
no "acceptable" level of exposure to dioxin given that it is cumulative and slow to
disintegrate. The real danger comes
from repeated contact (Karen Couppert "Pulling the Plug on the Tampon
Industry"). I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38
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 usually occurs), it
creates a breeding ground for the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer that 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. So, what can you do if you can't give
up using tampons?
Use tampons that are made from 100% UNBLEACHED cotton. 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,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. All the 800 numbers are listed on the boxes. Let them know that
we demand a safe product: ALL COTTON UNBLEACHED TAMPONS...