I got this email? Is it real?---
Sarah
_______________________________
Really Woman's Business
If you are a woman and use pads, but especially if you use tampons, read
This and pass it on to your friends. For the men receiving this email,
Please forward it to your friends, significant others, sisters, mothers,
Daughters, etc. Thanks!
Check the labels of the sanitary pads or tampons that you are going to buy
The next time and see whether you spot any of the familiar signs stated in
This email.
No wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and womb
tumours. 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 this isn't 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. A woman getting her Ph.D. at University
of Colorado 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 women, including feminine
Hygiene.
Recently we have learned that tampons are actually dangerous (for other
Reasons than TSS). 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
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 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 fibres 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 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.
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).
Or maybe even move to something sustainable like The Keeper - look it up on the net.
It's a reusable product and if you're comfortable with it or similar products it might
Be a option for you and the environment.
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 1800 numbers are listed on
The boxes. Let them know that we demand a safe product: ALL COTTON
UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.
REMINDER: In order not to lose the impact of this email, I suggest that
Anyone who wants to forward it to their friends, PLEASE copy this mail and
Paste it to a NEW message. That way it will not distort the whole message
With all the forward arrows. Please do this with consideration and
Seriousness.
Thanks.
Jackie Major
Royal Perth Hospital
