BabyBeeHinds

Environmental: It is estimated that over 7 billion tampons and 12 billion pads (and their packaging waste) are disposed of annually! They are typically manufactured using rayon and non-organic cotton that is chlorine bleached. Production of rayon (a wood-pulp derivative) causes pollution. So does conventional cotton production, which uses synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and defoliants.

Health: Aside from the cotton potentially containing trace pesticides, etc. tampons have been found to contain trace levels of dioxin. Dioxin is produced as a by-product of the chlorine bleaching process. Dioxin is a known carcinogen that is linked to endometriosis and ovarian, cervical and breast cancers, among other things.

As if that isn't scary enough, the rayon fibers in tampons are linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS.) TSS is life-threatening and is caused by a bacteria build-up in the blood stream. Rayon is commonly used by tampon manufactures because it has super-absorbent characteristics, the same characteristic that causes health problems. Due to its super-absorbency, some of the fibers tend to get left behind by sticking to the vaginal walls. There they dry out the normally mucous-y vaginal wall leaving tiny wounds--doorways for bacteria into the bloodstream. Rayon does not discriminate with its super-absorbent quality: it holds bacteria just as well as bodily fluids, hence the link to TSS. While these health risks are far greater for tampon users than pad users, dioxin and rayon are both present in pads as well.

Cost: Tampons and pads are expensive! Women, individually, easily spend between $300 and $400 every 5 years on these products--over $2,000 a life-time!