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The Myth Behind The Tampon Scare!
There have been many reports over the years that feminine hygiene products may contain dangerous quantities of asbestos or dioxine, or that the Rayon may cause medical problems.
Recently, a chain letter was sent around claiming just this, and asking that the recipient pass this letter on to warn others.
This letter and the allegations are both false! Below is the information to back this up. In fact, the alleged sender of the chain letter has put up a website stating that she in fact is not the sender of this letter (click here to go to her website, http://members.soltec.net/~jsbaker/)
Hopefully this will clear the air.
This is the FDA position on this issue:
Recent Asbestos Concerns Regarding Tampon Use09/25/1999
In the last six months, unfounded rumors on the Internet have suggested that U.S tampon manufacturers add asbestos to their products to promote excessive menstrual bleeding in order to sell more tampons. FDA has no evidence of asbestos in tampons or any reports regarding increased menstrual bleeding following tampon use.
Before any tampon is marketed in the U.S., FDA reviews its design and materials. Asbestos is not an ingredient in any U.S. brand of tampon, nor is it associated with the fibers used in making tampons. Moreover, tampon manufacturing sites are subject to inspection by FDA to assure that good manufacturing practices are being followed. Therefore, these inspections would likely identify any procedures that would expose tampons products to asbestos. If any tampon product was contaminated with asbestos, it would be as a result of tampering, which is a crime. Thus far, FDA has received no reports of tampering. Anyone having knowledge of tampon tampering is urged to notify FDA or a law enforcement officer.
The following is the Kimberly-Clark position on this issue:
http://www.kotex.com/goods/qa/
You can be confident that Kimberly-Clark thoroughly evaluates each component used in the manufacture of Kotex Security tampons to ensure that it is safe.
Furthermore, clinical studies have demonstrated that tampons with rayon and cotton are safe for their intended use, and both rayon and cotton have been used safely in tampons for many years. In fact, rayon has a safe history of use in medical applications such as absorbent gauze for wound and surgical dressings. Although there have been some concerns in the past about "superabsorbent" fibers in tampons, neither rayon nor cotton is a "superabsorbent" fiber. You can be assured that no "superabsorbent" fibers are used in Security tampons.
In addition, several well-respected research scientists have conducted multiple laboratory studies on tampons made from cotton, rayon, and cotton/rayon fiber blends. These studies conducted at independent laboratories and major universities, including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire and the University of Minnesota, have concluded that using cotton fibers instead of rayon fibers in tampons does not reduce the amount of TSS toxin produced. In other words, these studies refute the notion that all-cotton tampons are safer than tampons containing rayon.
Dioxin is found throughout the environment in trace amounts. Common sources of dioxin include combustion and incineration, industrial processes, and soil and river sediments. Dioxin can also be a by-product of certain bleaching processes, such as chlorine bleaching. By contrast, materials used in SECURITY tampons are bleached using Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) processes which significantly minimize the potential for dioxin formation during bleaching. Using extremely sensitive analytical studies based on EPA test methods, independent laboratories are unable to find any dioxin created by the bleaching process in SECURITY tampons. These tests measure amounts as low as one-half part per trillion. To put this into perspective, one part per trillion is equivalent to one drop of water in over 11 million gallons.
At no time, either past or present has our product contained asbestos.
Our pads and pantiliners are made mostly of wood cellulose fibers -- the same raw materials paper is made from. (We "fluff" these fibers to make the material absorbent and soft.) The outer cover and the moisture-proof shields are made with a moisture-proof plastic such as polypropylene or polyethylene, to help minimize leakage. In our Security tampons, the absorbent material is a blend of natural cotton and synthetic rayon, with a polypropylene cover.
