Welcome ladies (and curious gents), I think it's time to talk about one of the last remaining taboos of modern society, menstruation. More specifically the products we use during menstruation. And even more specifically dirty menstrual products that get tossed and flushed every day.
More after the fold.
Now that the boys have all run away screaming and crying, listen up girls! The following information comes from Tampaction at Mount Holyoke College's Environmental Action Coalition.
Over 12 billion pads and 7 million tampons are used once and disposed of annually, clogging our overburdened landfill sites. (National Women's Health Network)
An average menstruator throws away 250 to 300 pounds of tampons, pads, and applicators in hir lifetime that end up end up in landfills or sewage treatment plants.
Over 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999. Tampons are made from rayon, produced from wood pulp and cotton, a heavy pesticide crop.
25% of all insecticides are used on cotton.
Five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton in the U.S. (cyanide, dicofol, naled, propargite, and trifluralin) are known cancer-causing chemicals. All nine are classified by the U.S. EPA as Category I and II- the most dangerous. Disposable tampons and pads, from the first steps of their manufacture to their bitter end in a landfill, washed up on a beach, or burning in an incinerator, have a direct effect on people, generally people of color and low income communities. Factories and pulp mills where the products are made leach toxic chemicals into the groundwater and the air, causing high incidences of respiratory illnesses and other diseases. The chlorine bleaching process produces dioxin as a byproduct, a known carcinogen. Factories release arsenic, barium and other heavy metals. According to the Sustainable Cotton Project, 25% of all pesticides are applied to cotton. Communities in the southern US not only have to deal with contaminated water and soil, but eat the fish that have been poisoned with these chemicals.
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/...
Mind you that the 12 billion pads and 7 million tampons are contaminated with human blood. If each pad and tampon contains just a 1/4 of an ounce of blood that is close to 100,000 TONS of hazardous waste going into our landfills. Imagine the outrage if we discovered that hospitals were improperly disposing of 100,000 TONS of hazardous waste every year? Yet we women do it without even a second thought.
Beyond the environmental damage, women who use traditional menstrual products face health risks, as well. Tampons and disposable menstrual pads contain pesticides and dioxin, a carcinogenic bioproduct of the bleaching process. Tampons also contain rayon to promote absorbency. Rayon has been linked to TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrone), a rare but potentiall fatal disease that primarily effects tampon users under the age of 30.
There are, however, alternatives. Reusable menstrual products provide women who are more comfortable with their bodies healthier and more environmentally friendly alternatives. These products come in many forms.
Menstrual Cups
Menstrual cups are worn internally where they catch menstrual fluids. Menstrual cups have several advantages. They are resusable, easy to clean, and, unlike tampons, they keep menstrual fluids away from your vaginal lining reducing or completely eliminating reabsorption, one of the factors of TSS.
Menstrual cups also have a slight learning cuve. Placing the cup requires the user to know how to properly fold it in a way that allows it to pop open once inserted. The first month a new user uses a menstrual cup can sometimes provide a challenge. After the first month, however, the techniques become second nature.
There are several brands of menstrual cups on the market.
The Keeper - This is one of the oldest menstrual cups on the market. They have been producing it since 1987. It is made from latex, which could cause problems for women with latex allergies. It's also seriously ugly.
DivaCup (Pictured) - Made in Canada from medical-grade silicone. This is the product I use.
mooncup - Made from silicone (presumably medical-grade). This is the UK version of the DivaCup but is available for shipping to the U.S. Some women have found the mooncup to be more comfortable than the DivaCup. I'm not sure where it is made.
The Moon Cup - This is NOT the same product listed above. This product is manufactured in the U.S. by the same people who make The Keeper. It is made from medical-grade silicone.
Lunette - Another product from the U.K. It's made from medical-grade silicone. I'm not sure where it is made.
LadyCup - Europeans must love menstrual cups. Here is another one from across the pond. Like the others, medical-grade silicone.
Instead - Instead is a disposable menstrual cup. It provides some of the health benefits of the regular menstrual cups, but doesn't help much to reduce waste. It is also a very expensive product to use regularly and doesn't hold as much menstrual fluid as the reusable products.
Reusable Menstrual Pads
Reusable menstrual pads provide an excellent alternative to disposable menstrual pads. They are made from cotton, and some manufacturers offer pads made from organic cotton. They can be a little bit annoying, as they reqire regular washing, but they make a great "backup" when you are using a menstrual cup.
The pads designed for heavier flows tend to be bulky, but many women find that their flow decreases when they switch to menstrual cups and reusable pads. It is believed that the chlorine in disposable menstrual products causes an increase in menstrual flow. I personally can attest to the fact that when I switched from disposable products my flow decreased dramatically.
Reusable pads are also quite an investment upfront. Many women considering switching to them may experience sticker shock when it comes time to check out. The pads do, however, last for several years and provide significant savings over time.
Here is a list of manufacturers of reusable menstrual pads.
LunaPads (pictured) - This is the brand I use.
GladRags
Goddess Pads
Nurtured Family
sckoon
Make your own! - One way to offset the upfront investment associated with reusable menstrual pads is to make them yourself.
For a while many of the makers of reusable pads also sold sea sponges as tampon substitutes. It appears that these companies are now phasing out this product. I'm glad to see this. I just don't think a woman should ever shove a dead animal into her vagina. Sea sponges can also contain salt, sand and bacteria captured in all the little nooks and crannies, which may pose a health risk to women. For the same reason, they are also more difficult to clean. I do not recommend sea sponges.
So, there you have it. Something you can do to help reduce waste and improve your own health. Now, I wonder if I'll make the rec list? And I wonder if any men made it all the way here?
Bleed Green, Ladies!