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Different cultures, generations, and individuals (both male and female alike) all respond to the reality of menstruation in varying ways. Whether you feel proud or ashamed, angry or joyful, secretive or open, your period is an undeniable part of your life, and the choices you make surrounding it do have a significant impact on the greater environment and your health.

The extent of the effect widens when you consider that there are currently 73 million women of menstruating age in the United States with the average woman using as many as 16,800 tampons from the point she's inaugurated into the sisterhood through the waning of her menopausal years.[1] Unless you get pregnant, undergo a hysterectomy, or opt for taking certain hormone pills, you don't have much choice about whether or not you get your period.

However, you do have choices when it comes to greening your period protection. Options exist beyond the regular pad versus tampon decision (such as organic tampons and reusable menstrual cups and pads), and you can find a method that balances your comfort level with concern for the environment.

Tampons vs. pads

In 2006, a research group from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden conducted a life cycle assessment on tampons versus pads to determine which was the more environmentally friendly choice. The group compared a package of popular Swedish brand of ultra-thin, normal absorbency pads (Libresse) with a package of OB applicator-free super absorbency tampons.[2]

The study traces the environmental impact from cradle to grave of these two products. That is, it takes into account the impact of the extraction of raw materials, their transportation and production to usable material, the usage stage of the product, and, lastly, the impact of the expected waste management methods.[2]

The group found that sanitary pads are twice as harmful as tampons since they require the processing of plastics, specifically polyethylene. This process contributes to global warming and ozone depletion, while also emitting sulfur and nitrogen oxides, contributing to acidification.[2]

Cotton production

Conventionally grown cotton—what most regular tampons are made of—is a highly water- and pesticide-intensive crop. This water intensity drains surface and ground water sources leading to erosion, eco-system degradation, and species loss. When combined with the intensive use of chemicals, the run-off contaminates lakes, rivers, and wetlands.[3]

It is estimated that cotton accounts for 11 percent of all pesticides and 24 percent of all insecticides used globally, even though cotton is grown on just 2.4 percent of the world’s arable land.[4] An estimated $2 billion worth of chemicals are sprayed on global cotton crops annually—almost half of which are classified as hazardous by the World Health Organization (WHO).[5]

In the US it’s estimated that conventional cotton farms apply about one-third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for every pound of cotton harvested.[6] Pesticide residues in the form of dioxins in tampons are absorbed by the wall of the vagina and directly into the blood stream.[7] See Related health issues below.

Waste

In 1999, about 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 million pads, and 700,000 pantiliners were flushed down the toilet daily.[8] The average woman throws away between 10,000 and 15,000 tampons, pads, and applicators over her lifetime. In the US and Canada, more than 12 billion pads and tampons are thrown away annually. Most of this waste is sent to landfills or incinerated. However, a good portion of it passes through sewage treatment plants, ending up in oceans, littering beaches, and harming wildlife.[9] According to the Center for Marine Conservation, between 1998 and 1999, more than 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along American coastlines.[10]

Related health issues

Toxic shock syndrome

Along with the above environmental impacts, tampons in particular have been the subject of concern from a woman's health perspective. The most commonly associated health risks of tampon use is toxic shock syndrome (TSS), more prevalent in women under the age of 25. A normally healthy bacteria found in warm, moist places of the body can sometimes produce toxins that lead to TSS. This disease has symptoms that are similar to a severe flu, and has been related to tampon absorbency.[11]

Not only do tampons absorb menstrual blood, but they absorb anything else they come in contact with, including vaginal mucous. A change in mucous can cause ulcerations and irritations that in turn can lead to more frequent infections.[12]

Dioxin exposure

A less commonly acknowledged tampon-induced health threat is the exposure of sensitive tissues to dioxin. Dioxins result from many different production processes and are prevalent in the world around us. Non-organic tampons are usually made from cotton and rayon, a synthetic fiber derived from tree pulp, which is bleached (a source of dioxin).[13] Sanitary pads are made of processed wood pulp that's also bleached with dioxin-containing chemicals.[8] Dioxin is a known carcinogen in animals, with prolonged exposure causing endometriosis, and is a probable cause of cancer in humans.[13]

Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asserts that the amount of dioxin present in today's tampons is negligible, experts counter that dioxin in tampons is more of a concern, since it comes in contact with the most absorbent tissue in the body. Additionally, effects of dioxin are cumulative, being detected in the body 20 to 30 years after exposure. Considering the number of tampons an average woman uses in the course of her lifetime, this is particularly troubling.[13]

External links

• Natural Products Marketplace - Feminine Hygiene Goes Green
• Women's Environmental Network - Seeing Red: Sanitary protection and the environment
• TreeHugger - More Evidence That Tampons Are a Greener Choice
• Green Living Online - Healthy Periods
• Toxic Shock! How Safe Are Feminine Hygiene Products?