The following is an example of the 'toxic tampons' rumor.

Click here to find out why this is unlikely.

I find this personally disturbing and alarming, I believe that there sanitary pads or tampons that you are going to buy the next time, and see whether you spot any of the familiar signs stated in this email...... no wonder so many women in the world suffer from cervical cancer and womb tumors.......scary!!!!! Please pass on to as many women as possible

If you use pads, but especially if you use tampons read this and pass on to your friends (for the men receiving this email, please forward it to your friends, significant others, sisters, mothers, daughters, etc.) thanks!

Have you heard that tampon makers include asbestos in tampons? Why would they do this? Because asbestos makes you bleed more . . . if you bleed more, you're going to need to use more. Why isn't this against the law since asbestos is so dangerous? Because the powers that be, in all their wisdom(not), did not consider tampons as being ingested, and therefore wasn't illegal or considered dangerous. This month's Essence magazine has a small article about this and they mention two manufacturers of a cotton tampon alternative. The companies are ******* ********** @ (***) ***-**** and ***** ***** @(***)***-****. [Company names and phone numbers deleted - Ed.]

A woman getting her Ph.D. at University of Colorado @ Boulder sent the following:

I am writing this because women are not being informed about the dangers of something most of us use tampons. I am taking a class this month and I have been learning a lot about biology and woman, including much about feminine hygiene. Recently we have learned that tampons are actually dangerous (for other reasons than TSS). I'll tell you this, after learning about this in our class, most of the females wound up feeling angry and upset with the tampon industry, and I for one, am going to do something about it. To start, I want to inform everyone I can, and email is the fastest way that I know how. Here is the scoop:

Tampons contain two things that are potentially harmful: Rayon (for absorbency), and dioxin (a chemical used in bleaching the products). The tampon industry is convinced that we, as women, need bleached white products - in order to view the product as pure and clean. The problem here is that the dioxin produced in this bleaching process can lead to very harmful problems for a woman. Dioxin is potentially carcinogenic (cancer-associated) and is toxic to the immune and reproductive systems. It has also been linked to endometriosis and lower sperm counts for men 20 for both, it breaks down the immune system. Last September the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) reported that there really is no set "acceptable" level of exposure to dioxin given that it is cumulative and slow to disintegrate. The real danger comes from repeated contact (Karen Houppert "Pulling the Plug on the Tampon Industry"). I'd say using about 4-5 tampons a day, five days a month, for 38 menstruating years is "repeated contact", wouldn't you? Rayon contributes to the danger of tampons and dioxin because it is a highly absorbent substance. Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left behind in the vagina (as it usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground for the dioxin. It also stays in a lot longer than it would with just cotton tampons. This is also the reason why TSS (toxic shock syndrome) occurs.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

Using feminine hygiene products that aren't bleached and that are all cotton. Other feminine hygiene products (pads/napkins) contain dioxin as well, but they are not nearly as dangerous since they are not in direct contact with the vagina. The pads/napkins need to stop being bleached, but obviously tampons are the most dangerous.

So, what can you do if you can't give up using tampons? Use tampons that are made from 100% cotton, and that are UNBLEACHED. Unfortunately, there are very, very few companies that make these safe tampons. They are usually only found in health food stores. Countries all over the world (Sweden, German, British Columbia, etc.) have demanded a switch to this safer tampon, while the U.S. has decided to keep us in the dark about it. In 1989, activists in England mounted a campaign against chlorine bleaching. Six weeks and 50,000 letters later, the makers of sanitary products switched to oxygen bleaching (one of the green methods available). (MSmagazine,May/June 1995).

WHAT TO DO NOW:

Tell people. Everyone. Inform them. We are being manipulated by this industry and the government, let's do something about it! Please write to the companies: Tampax (Tambrands), Playtex, O.B., Kotex. Call the 800 numbers listed on the boxes. Let them know that we demand a safe product - ALL COTTON UNBLEACHED TAMPONS.

P.S. In order not to lose the impact of this email, I suggest that anyone who want to forward to your friends, PLEASE copy this mail and paste to a NEW message. That way will not distort the whole message with all the forward arrows. Please do this with consideration and seriousness.

Thanks!

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