Detox the Box!

It's Friday, which means we're talking greener and safer alternatives. Check out this info and fun video from Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE) about why, until they make the necessary changes, you should find a safer alternative to your feminine products -- we're talking ditching the tampons and pads.

Toxic chemicals don’t belong in feminine products. Period. They especially don’t belong in the top-selling brands Tampax and Always, where they have the potential to harm the health of the millions of women using those pads and tampons.

Women’s Voices for the Earth needed a fun way to get this message across to as many women as possible. After all, our health is at stake. 

Remember Justin Timberlake’s Dick in a Box music video from SNL? WVE spoofed it. Seriously.

Watch Detox the Box, WVE’s latest and greatest spoof video with a hard-hitting message telling Tampax and Always to drop the toxics and list all ingredients.

Please share this music video with the women in your life. Together, we can convince the top-selling pad and tampon brands that toxic chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and hormone disruption don’t belong in products that come anywhere near our ladyparts.

In the meantime, as we wait for changes in the industry, there are products you can use to keep you safe during that time of the month. 

First, there is the menstrual cup. There are several alternatives out there (available online and at retailers such as Whole Foods). You can check out this review of the Diva Cup here on the blog. 

Next, consider using mama cloths -- comfy cloth menstrual pads for light to heavy days, postpartum, and even overnights. Click here for a review I did for one mama cloth company, but there are dozens more out there. Just check out Etsy for a wide array of choices. 

Instead of disposal feminine care products loaded with toxins, use reusable products. It's as simple (and cost effective) as that!

That's it for today's IOTUS. Stop by next Friday for our next installment.

Detox the Box!

From the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics:


Vagina. Lady parts. Down there. No matter what you call it, we can all agree that we don’t want toxic chemicals anywhere near it. 

Tell Tampax and Always to detox the box! 

Our partners at Women’s Voices for the Earth recently released the report Chem Fatale, which exposes toxic chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive harm, hormone disruption, and allergies in feminine care products like pads and tampons.

That’s why we’re asking Tampax and Always, two of the top-selling tampon and pad brands, to detox the box by listing all ingredients in their feminine care products and removing harmful chemicals! 

Not-so-fun facts about secret toxic chemicals in pads & tampons:

• Tampons contaminated with harmful chemicals maintain contact with some of the most absorptive skin on our bodies for hours at a time.
• Pads commonly contain adhesive chemicals linked to allergic rash in women.
• Pads and tampons are regulated as “medical devices,” which means that companies aren’t required to list any of the ingredients used in these products, unlike other personal care products.
• Fragrance is commonly used in pads and tampons, and all fragrance ingredients are kept secret.

We know that Procter & Gamble (the makers of Tampax and Always) uses harmful chemicals linked to cancer like styrene, pyridine, and methyleugenol and synthetic musks like galaxolide and tonalide in its fragrances, which are potential hormone disruptors linked to increased risk of breast cancer. We have a right to know if those chemicals are in its pads and tampons too!

Toxic chemicals don’t belong in feminine products. Period. 




 

Vinegar Friday -- For women only

TGIVF!

A community member sent me a private message last week to let me know what happened when she went to the doctor:

"I had to have a cervical/uterine biopsy yesterday, and one of the first things they do is swab the cervix with a vinegar solution on a big fat cotton swab stick. My doctor's talking me through all this, and she mentions the fact that it's only vinegar, very natural, and I almost busted out laughing. I thought, 'Put THAT in your Vinegar Fridays, Hana!'"

So I took her advice, and there you have it. I knew they were using vinegar to detect cancer in other countries, but I wasn't aware that we'd become so "advanced" here in the States. If you want to read more about it, click here to read my post, "In lieu of a pap smear." 

Since we're already on the subject of women's gynecological health, I thought it was the perfect time to share a report from Women's Voices for the Earth which was released this week. Below are key points of this important report. Click here for the full report and fact sheet. 

Chem Fatale: Potential Health Effects of Toxic Chemicals in Feminine Care Products

I know you're already looking to eliminate hazardous ingredients from your home. But have you given any thought to what is in your feminine care products? Tampons, pads, douches, wipes, and sprays can all contain toxic chemicals which are coming into contact with some of the most absorptive tissue on your body!

In their new report, WVE examines unregulated toxic chemicals in these products that may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer, reproductive problems, asthma, and allergic reactions. Chemicals of concern commonly used in feminine care products include cancer-causing chemicals, reproductive toxins, hormone disruptors, and allergens.

Here are some of the shocking highlights of the report:

• While pads and tampons are used almost universally by all women, Black and Latina women use some feminine products like douches, wipes, and sprays in greater numbers than White women, meaning these women are disproportionately impacted by the toxic chemicals in these products.
• Pads and tampons are regulated as medical devices, which means that companies don't have to disclose any ingredients in these products.
• Other feminine care products are regulated as personal care products, which means that companies are legally allowed to keep fragrance ingredients a secret from consumers -- even the toxic ones.
• Test results show dioxins, furans, and pesticide residues in tampons, which have been linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption.
• Lots of feminine care products contain formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, and formaldehyde is a carcinogen and a potent allergen. 
• The FDA considers common chemicals in feminine washes to be safe "for external use only." However, it is extremely likely that some internal vaginal exposure will occur from regular use.
• Anti-itch creams commonly contain chemicals that are either allergens or irritants, and can actually exacerbate the very symptoms that women are attempting to treat.
• Because of weak regulation, companies do not have to prove the chemicals they are using in these products are safe. That means companies are legally allowed to use ingredients linked to cancer, birth defects, and other chronic diseases.

What WVE Has to Say 

"Feminine care products are not just your average cosmetics, because they are used on an exceptionally sensitive and absorbent part of a woman's body," said Alexandra Scranton, WVE's Director of Science and Research and author of this report. "Greater scrutiny, oversight and research are badly needed to assure the safety of these ingredients for women's health."

So, what's a woman to do? 

Ways to Reduce Exposure

• Avoid Hall of Shame products found here
• Read the labels to avoid chemicals of concern listed here
• Look for brands that disclose all ingredients, including what's in fragrance
• Eliminate use of products that may be unnecessary to a healthy vagina
• Choose unscented products where available (particularly tampons and pads)
• Choose chlorine-free bleached or unbleached cotton tampons and pads
• If you are having allergic symptoms, switch brands! When you do switch -- call the company's 1-800 customer service to tell them why
• Tell the FDA if you've had symptoms that may be from a feminine care product. Call 1-800-332-1088 or fill out a consumer reporting form available here
• Completely eliminate disposable feminine care products altogether by switching to mama cloth reusable pads and panty liners and reusable menstrual cups (Note: this last tip was not included in the report, but is something I personally recommend)

Action: Asking Procter & Gamble to Disclose Ingredients

While we love to pink wash everything for breast cancer awareness, the fact is no one wants to talk about this aspect of women's health. Therefore, it is not getting the attention it needs. 

That's why we're talking about it. Toxic chemicals have no place in feminine care products. PERIOD. And we're going to do something about it!

Join WVE and Green Grandma in asking Proctor & Gamble, makers of Tampax tampons and Always pads, to disclose the ingredients in those products and remove toxic chemicals linked to women's health problems. Click here to take action! 

Thank you for caring, not only for your own health, but for the health of your daughters and granddaughters, and mine! Change is only possible when we start to demand it.

Caring for our health,