Toxic Chemicals Don’t Belong in Feminine Products. Period.
Huffington Post
September 12, 2014
I’m impressed to see all of these fun and empowering ads for tampons and pads lately. From Hello Flo’s viral First Moon Party to P&G’s tear-jerking Like a Girl, these videos are giving the subject of menstruation a lot more serious attention than it used to get. But one topic that still hasn’t been broached is the unpleasant subject of what exactly it is that women are putting into and onto their most sensitive parts with these products.
An analysis by Women’s Voices for the Earth of product labels found at least 20 chemicals of concern in some feminine products. These include: parabens (preservatives linked to endocrine disruption, increased risk of breast cancer, and allergic rash); DMDM Hydantoin, a preservative that releases the carcinogen formaldehyde; and benzethonium chloride, a chemical linked to maternal and embryo toxicity that isn’t supposed to be used on mucous membranes (of which there are many in the vagina).
