By Andrea Mickus
(of SEAC's tampaction campaign)
If fifth grade health teachers teach first-time menstruators how to use tampons, what could possibly be wrong with these menstrual products? A lot. Along with serious health and environmental complications of corporate tampons and disposable pads, the companies that produce them take part in the campaign to make menstruation seem dirty and mysterious-even to those who do it. In that fifth grade class, and probably long before it, menstruators learned to hate our cycles and our bodies in a way that allows bleach-white super absorbent tulip scented products to appeal to us. We think we need them to hide our periods, but our bodies know what belongs in our pants when we're bleeding, and its not bleach or rayon.
Tampon companies work hard to keep the dangers of their products a secret, so it's no surprise that many people haven't heard a word about this issue. Yet tons of menstruators already use safer, healthier alternatives to tampons, such as the ones listed below. Not only are individuals changing the ways they menstruate by switching products, there are whole movements of menstruators tackling this issue. Healthy menstruation and menstrual activism has been brought to attention in doctoral theses, student health centers, health food stores, campus environmental groups, and websites.
So what's so bad about tampons, anyway? For starters, one menstruator is likely to use 16,800 sanitary pads or tampons in a lifetime. That means over 12 billion pads and 7 million tampons used once and disposed of per year. If environmental groups are so worried about soda cans, they should certainly notice that tampons fill landfills pretty fast too. But that's our planet, what about our bodies? Tampons soak up more than just blood. They also absorb vaginal mucous, which is necessary to maintain a healthy pH balance in your vag. This occurrence has been linked to yeast infections. Additionally, tampons are made primarily of rayon, an abrasive artificial fiber. When a tampon lengthens it pushes against the cervical area, causing tiny cuts and embedding pieces into the tissue. This has been shown to damage the vaginal walls by causing ulceration and peeling of the mucous membrane.
We've all seen those inserts about Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) in tampon boxes, right? Well, TSS is one tampon-related concern that has caused tampon companies to reform (but not fix!) their products. TSS has been linked to tampon use and the high absorbency level in tampons. The number of reported cases has dropped significantly in recent years, from 55 reported deaths and 1,066 reported cases in 1979 and 1980 to 3 reported cases in 1998, due to increased regulation by the FDA of tampon absorbency and changes in tampon ingredients. This does not mean the issue has gone away, and energy must still be put into better documenting and reporting cases of TSS.
Another area menstrual activists have made partial reforms in is the tampon bleaching process. Up until a few years ago, tampon companies used chlorine gas to bleach tampons, which produced dioxins, which are known carcinogens-the same group of chemicals found in Agent Orange. Now, tampon companies use elemental chlorine free bleaching. Companies such as Johnson and Johnson, makers of O.B. tampons, claim that this process does not produce dioxin. Tests sponsored by the tampon companies have found that dioxin in tampons ranges from undetectable to 1 part in 3 trillion. Because statistics vary, and because corporations who have an obvious monetary stake in the results provide the tests, menstrual activists are fighting to get independent testing of dioxin levels in tampons. Congresswoman Maloney of New York is currently sponsoring a bill called the Robin Danielson Act, which would force the National Institute of Health to conduct testing on tampons, and the Centers for Disease Control to collect and report information on Toxic Shock Syndrome. Until we know for sure, it's better safe than sorry.
Along with informing ourselves about both the dangers of tampons and the facts about other products, and sharing this information, there is power we have access to as menstruators. We are building this power by continuing to organize to fight the patriarchal taboos that sustain tampon companies and the culture of shame surrounding menstruation. One outlet (among many) for menstrual activists to network through is the Student Environmental Action Coalition's (SEAC's) Tampaction campaign.
As part of the effort to expand the definition of "environment," the Tampaction campaign consists of students and youth who demand easy access to tampon alternatives at their schools and in their communities. A common goal of student groups who work on the Tampaction campaign is to get alternatives such as organic tampons, cloth pads, or the keeper sold at campus bookstores or convenience stores that carry corporate tampons. In high schools, the target of a campaign might be the nurse's office-which could not only replace their emergency stash of Playtex with organic tampons, but could stock literature on healthy menstrual products. Instead of the nurse miseducating students, students could educate the nurse!
In a broader, national effort to strengthen local Tampaction campaigns, folks involved are making efforts to support Maloney's legislative bill, brainstorm ways to take our campus victories to a corporate level, gathering resources to share, and starting to put work into dismantling the racism of the historically white "feminist movement," which menstrual activism campaigns are an outgrowth of.
If you are interested in learning more about the Tampaction campaign, alternatives, or the idea of menstrual activism, you can check out www.tampaction.org as a starting point. There are loads of links to other resource sites, as well as more facts about the dangers of corporate menstrual products. You will also find additional contact information for the coordinators of the campaign. The revolution starts in our pants, our convenience stores, and our health offices!