Despite their universal acceptance in our
modern society most tampons have managed to escape testing regarding
the long term effects of the extended chemical build up in the female
body.
Following is some information on the
hazards of traditional tampons. We also discovered a page related to
this subject. S.P.O.T. is an independent group of women dedicated to
informing women about the dangers of major brand tampon use.
One Australian company has sought to improve this standard in the feminine hygiene market by completely removing the threat of chemical contamination altogether. ECO YARN COMPANY has developed and has a Patent Pending for the worlds first organic cotton tampon. This tampon, available in both regular and super sizes, has been made from certified organic cotton (cotton which has been grown without the use of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides) and has had no harmful bleaches used in its production. The tampon is totally free of toxic pesticides, herbicides and harmful bleaches.
Traditional tampons that are currently on the market are made from
Rayon-cotton blends as well as 100% rayon and 100% cotton. Rayon is
reconstituted wood pulp and its production involves the use of many
chemicals. The traditional cotton used in tampons has been grown
using as many as 35 different pesticides, herbicides and fungicides
after which the cotton is washed and bleached. this manufacturing
process has a certain level of harmful chemical usage, and after
years of continued use, the residue from these chemicals adds
considerably to the body's system.
Some researches are finding that women take in twice their body weight in toxic chemicals during their lifetime compared to men who consume half their body weight. There is also a high proportion of women in their 40's who are getting cervical cancer.
Surveys show that a lot of women have changed from tampons to pads
due to fears related to toxic shock syndrome ( TSS ). Continual
research into TSS has given no clear answer to the cause of the
syndrome but there is a theory that the use of synthetic fibres is a
major contributing factor.
Dr. Philip Tierno Jr., director of microbiology and diagnostic immunology at Tisch Hospital/NYU Medical Center, and Dr. Bruce Hanna, associate professor of pathology at NYU Medical Center, tested 20 varieties of tampons and concluded that, while all-cotton tampons produced none of the deadly TSS toxin, all the other tampon brands--Playtex, o.b., Tampax, Kotex--amplified the production of the toxin.
``The propensity for all-cotton tampons not to amplify TSST-1 in vitro suggests they would lower the risk for tampon-associated TSS.''
Therefore, organic cotton tampons have a huge advantage as no synthetic fibres, herbicides, pesticides, chemicals and bleaches are used in any stage of their production.
Eco Yarn Organic tampons are made from Pure Certified Organic Cotton
(no fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are used in their
production). The organic cotton is washed in pure natural soaps to
wash out natural waxes, to whiten and give absorbency to the tampon.
The cotton is then processed into tampons and each individual tampon
is wrapped in cellophane.
Most people believe that cotton is pure. Unfortunately cotton has had
some 35 different pesticides and herbicides in its production. The
cotton industry uses 50% of all chemicals used in the world for
agricultural uses.
The chemicals do not just go away after they have been sprayed on the
cotton. Some of the chemicals are even reactivated when moisture is
applied. At the moment, some areas of the cotton producing world are
losing the fight against the insects which have built up a natural
immunity to the chemicals. Most chemical companies are reluctant to
make newer generation chemicals as the fear of the ever increasing
litigation outweighs any financial gain. Therefore, unless the cotton
growers move toward organic production there may well be no viable
cotton production in the next century. Thus, the only cotton you can
honestly say is pure is organic cotton.
Organic cotton is grown without the use of any man made chemicals.
Only natural means are used to control the insects like an Australian
Wasp that is flown onto the cotton plant to control insects.
Therefore, as this process is not as effective as normal pest control
measures, organic cotton yields are 25% of that of normal cotton
yields and so organic cotton is more expensive. However, we have
saved costs elsewhere to make the tampons as competitively priced as
other tampons.
This is a fibre made from trees such as Eucalyptus and Spruce. The
chemicals used are Caustic Soda, Carbon Disulphide and Sulphic acid.
Not only is it bad for the environment (deforestation, soil erosion,
and toxic waste but also the residual chemicals are hazardous to the
consumer, you!
All organic tampons are tested by Independent Certified Government
Agencies in Australia and the USA. The tampons comply with Australian
standard AS2869-1986. The standard is the Australian Government
standard for tampons to cover all aspects of safety in regards to
usage of the tampons from aerobic microbial content, to the pull
strength of the withdrawl card. EcoYarns Organic tampons have been
approved by the Federal Drug Administration of the United States of
America and are listed and certified by the Theraputic goods
Administration of Australia, TGAIN NO:58125, ID NO:21569
We are asking you to consider the benefits of the organic option and
give our product a go. Surely any product that is free of chemicals
has to be better for both the user and the environment.
Eco is developing Organic Pads and Organic Applicator Tampons.