Why we should think about our tampons
Everything cotton or what?
A look at the tampon pack is as surprising as uncovering. If you look for information on the ingredients, we only read: "Return thread made of 100 percent cotton Cellophane wrap from renewable raw materials Package insert of 100 percent recycled material Carton of at least 70 percent recycled material." What the tampons consist of, which we put into our bodies for decades, we do not learn.
Also weird: We are concerned about what we eat and what chemicals are in our clothes and in our lotions. But we hardly care about what's inside our tampons, which we routinely confide in our mucous membranes.
There is no obligation to declare
Tampons belong to the category "commodities" and are therefore not subject to declaration. But: "According to product safety law, the manufacturers must rule out that their products are harmful to health," said Jürgen Thier-Kundke from the "Federal Institute for Risk Assessment" (BfR) to ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com. Just why are the information on the tampon omitted on the packs? "What's on the pack, is purely promotional," Thier-Kundke clarifies. And maybe viscose or pulp just does not sound very sexy. Because tampons essentially consist of that. But not only.
"It just can not be that no woman knows what's inside the products," says Annemarie Harant to ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com. "Tampons and sanitary napkins are subject to the same legal limits as handkerchiefs or similar hygiene products, regardless of the fact that tampons and sanitary napkins are stored in or on our bodies for extended periods of time".
She therefore decided to clarify the topic. Together with Bettina Steinbrugger she founded the portal www.erdbeerwoche.com, where she informs about alternative feminine hygiene and among other things sells organic tampons.
What do tampons actually consist of?
Tampons are made of rayon, viscose and / or cotton. A tampon is also surrounded by a synthetic layer, which facilitates the insertion and removal and prevents the pulp from falling apart in the vagina. These cases are made of polyester, polyethylene and / or polypropylene. Incidentally, the synthetic fibers of the tampons are associated with the Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a tampon-induced bacterial infection that is very rare but fatal.
Fear of dioxins, pesticides, formaldehyde and genetic engineering
More and more women ask questions about potentially harmful ingredients in tampons: There is talk of pesticides and genetic engineering in cotton cultivation, of dioxins that are produced by bleaching and of formaldehyde from the foil packaging of individual tampons. In fact, there are hardly any studies on the possible contaminant content of tampons.
Are tampons now questionable or not?
"Stiftung Warentest" examined 22 tampon brands in 2003 and found no harmful substances. In 2009, "Öko-Test" discovered "cancerous formaldehyde" in two products. However, the testers acknowledged that the legal limits were well below: "In all cases, the limit for formaldehyde is only ten to 20 percent exhausted, but since a tampon naturally remains in the body for hours, we assess this substance more stringently for the questionable substance is the foil with which the tampons are individually packed. " In ten brands "Öko-Test" found organohalogen compounds, including the dreaded dioxins. "The residues could come from the bleaching of the fibers with chlorine compounds," it said.
According to Jürgen Thier-Kundke of the "BfR" but one should "leave the church in the village." Although pesticides are used in conventional cotton farming, there are so-called maximum residue levels for them. "We do not know if pesticides are even detectable in the product." For safety, the manufacturers were responsible.
Alyssa Dweck, renowned American gynecologist and co-author of the book "V is for vagina", also believes that women need not worry. "Conventional tampons are not bad at all," she told The Huffington Post, "even though some women are sensitive to fragrances." And the WHO warns that we come into contact with dioxins mainly through foods such as meat, milk and fish.
Should I use organic tampons better?
They are called "Natracare", "Organyc Biotampons" or "Masmi tampons" and are made from 100% certified organic cotton. Means: The cotton contains no pesticides, is GMO-free and can be used without the plastics that encase conventional tampons.
It probably can not hurt to switch to the organic variety - if it does not bother you that they are slightly more expensive than traditional tampons. But you have to know that even natural substances can have an allergenic effect. And that one should do without colored and fragrant tampons, of course, goes without saying.
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